TC Televisión
Ecuadorian free-to-air television network
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
TC Televisión is a state-run television channel in Ecuador. The network was founded in 1969 and was commercially-funded for many years until 2011 when Grupo Iasaías went into a lawsuit and was sold to a state government unit. Since then, the channel has been owned by SERTVSA (Sistema Ecuatoriano de Radio y Televisión) despite a local court ruling that the Isaías brothers return all of their assets from the government.[1][2]
TC Internacional:
United States, Spain and Latin America
 | |
| Type | Free-to-air television network |
|---|---|
| Country | Ecuador |
| Broadcast area | Ecuador TC Internacional: United States, Spain and Latin America |
| Headquarters | Guayaquil |
| Programming | |
| Language | Spanish |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to 480i for the SD feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | CAEC Televisión Comunica EP |
| Sister channels | Gamavisión, Ecuador TV, TV Legislativa, Educa |
| History | |
| Launched | 30 May 1969 |
| Former names | Canal 10 (1969-1979) Telecentro (1979-1993) |
| Links | |
| Website | https://www.tctelevision.com/ |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Analog VHF | Channel 10 (Quito) |
| Digital VHF | Channel 10.1 (HD) Channel 10.2 (SD) |
History
In early 1969, RCA had completed equipment shipments worth US$600,000 to Cadena Ecuatoriana de Televisión (CETV) in Guayaquil. The transmitter was atop a mountain peak and relayed its signal over seven further transmitters across the country. CETV was primarily commercial, but had an agreement with the government to produce educational programming.[3] On July 9, 1969, CETV was formally created, its founder being Ismael Pérez Perazo. Shortly afterwards, the station was acquired by La Filantrópica (later Filanbanco).[4]
The organization was divided between two locations, the Azul and El Carmen mountains of Guayaquil, in charge of operations, and the city's center, where the administrative functions were located.[5] The station's relay in Riobamba opened on December 27, 1969, becoming the first television station available there.[6]
Incidents
On January 9, 2024, at just after 2:00 p.m. local time, a group of criminals armed with weapons and explosives took over the channel's newsroom, taking the news program's presenters as hostages while threatening them during a live broadcast, although police later stated that all of the staff were freed and that they had made 13 arrests relating to the incident. The events may have been a response to the escape of José Adolfo Macías Villamar, leader of Los Choneros, an Ecuadorian drug cartel, although it is uncertain whether this is true.[7]
