Telefe
Telefe, short for Televisión Federal, is one of the main broadcast television networks in Argentina. It also operates regional channels, streaming services, and a pay-TV service, Telefe International, which is distributed in multiple countries. This entry discusses the history of Telefe, its programming, and its ownership.
By the 1970s, about three quarters of the population in Argentina had access to television. When Telefe was launched in 1989, the country had 42 other TV stations and 92% of households had at least one TV set. Telefe was among the most watched stations from the start, competing for the title of top-ranked station with Channel 13. Telefe and Channel 13 later became part of major media groups associated with Telefónica and Grupo Clarín, respectively. Both conglomerates controlled TV networks, newspapers, radio stations, Internet and cable TV connections, and mobile communications.
LS84 TV Channel 11—Telefe’s old call letters—started broadcasting as a private enterprise in 1961. During its early years, Channel 11 received financial, technical, and programming support from the U.S. television network ABC. Over Channel 11’s first decade in operation, the station adapted several successful American television formats for Argentine audiences.
In 1974, the Argentine state took over Channel 11 along with other Buenos Aires–based private television stations. In 1989, Channel 11 was reprivatized and acquired by Federal Television, which changed the station’s name to Telefe. Telefónica expanded its control of Telefe during the 1990s through its media division, Telefónica Media. Due to its new content and formats, Telefe became among the highest rated stations in Argentina. As artistic director, Gustavo Yankelevich, and later his successor, Claudio Villarruel, programmed the station in ways that reinforced the values expressed in Telefe’s slogans over the years such as ‘Juntos’ (‘Together’), ‘Siempre juntos’ (’Always together’), and anniversary campaigns such as ‘25 años juntos’ (‘25 years together’). Telefe promoted itself as a family-oriented television network.
The privatization of the station that became Telefe in 1989 had support among media workers, analysts, politicians, and Argentine economic groups and was the beginning of a wider privatization wave. The two main arguments in favor of privatization of television were worker stability and that the television stations did not perform well under state control.
After privatization, Telefe kept the advertising income system that had been in place under state control. As the main goal was making money, it did not pursue other directions in communication. Later on, independent producers emerged as fixed clients of TV channels. Telefe worked with Ideas del Sur, Underground Productions, LC Acción Productions, Cris Morena Group, ON TV Llorente Villarruel Contents, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Cuatro Cabezas, RGB Entertainment, and Endemol, among others. The success of these endeavors was based on their undertaking of all economic risks.
Since the beginning of its management, Telefe bought U.S. shows such as The Simpsons and The Nanny, which soon became staples in its daily schedule. Afterward, it started producing local versions of those imported ideas such as Gran Hermano (an adaptation of Big Brother), La Niñera (an adaptation of The Nanny), and Casados con Hijos (an adaptation of Married . . . with Children).
Telefe has also been known for producing its own programs that explored costumbrista comedy, science fiction, suspense, crime, and magic genres. Amigos son los amigos (Friends Will Be Friends, 1989–1992), Grande, Pá! (Super Dad, 1991–1994), Chiquitas (Tiny Angels, 1995–2001), Verano del ‘98 (Endless Summer, 1998–2000), Montecristo (2006), and Resistiré (Forever Julia, 2003–2004) were very popular. But as Telefe wanted to appeal to the family, talk shows, game shows, and variety shows were important parts of its programming lineup as well. These included Videomatch (1990–2004) and Jugate Conmigo (Play With Me, 1991–1994).
In the 2010s, Telefe aired three news programs per day, often addressing the stability and economic development of Argentina’s institutions. As a member of Alianza Informativa Latinoamericana (Latin American Alliance of Information), Telefe Noticias (Telefe News) shares information with other Latin American news programs.
Telefónica arrived from Spain in the 1990s, during the process of Argentine public enterprises’ privatization. They became leaders in communications through providing mobile and fixed telephone services as well as producing content through television (Telefe) and radio (Continental Radio and FM Hit).
Between 1997 and 1998, Telefónica bought provincial channels such as Channel 11 in Salta, Channel 7 in Neuquén, Channel 12 in Córdoba, Channel 13 in Santa Fé, Channel 5 in Rosario, Channel 9 in Bahía Blanca, Channel 8 in Mar del Plata, Channel 9 in Mendoza, Channel 9 in San Salvador de Jujuy, and Channel 8 in San Miguel de Tucumán, linking these regional stations to the Telefe network.
Telefe had to sell off some of its holdings after the enactment of a 2009 law intended to reduce media concentration and restructure broadcast licensing rules. In contrast to the struggle between the government and the Clarín Group over the law, Telefe’s acceptance of the law and its voluntary adaptation seemed to express its intention to avoid political confrontation. Argentina’s president Mauricio Macri took steps to dismantle the 2009 media law soon after he took office in 2015. In 2016, Viacom acquired Telefe; the network later became part of Paramount Global following the merger of Viacom and CBS.
The original version of this article was published by SAGE Publications in The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Mass Media and Society.