Canal 9 (Argentina) - History

History

The first privately owned television station in Argentina, Canal 9 began broadcasting on July 9, 1960, Argentina's Independence Day. During its first years of operation, Canal 9's stock was partially owned by foreign companies, and the station acted as a broadcaster in Argentina for the three American networks ABC, CBS, and NBC.

In 1963 Alejandro Saúl Romay, who was the owner of Radio Libertad, became the manager of Canal 9, and in the following years he acquired the stock held by the foreign investors, transforming Canal 9 into the first television station fully funded by Argentine capital.

In 1974, during Juan Perón's third term as President of Argentina, Canal 9 was seized by the government, remaining as a state-owned station throughout the following military regime. The station was re-privatized in 1984, and Alejandro Romay became once again the station's owner, a position which he held until 1997. Romay's long term as the owner of Canal 9 made him one of the most powerful figures in Argentine media, earning him the nickname of "the Television Czar". Following its re-privatization, the station was renamed "Canal 9 Libertad".

The Australian group Prime Television bought Canal 9 in 1997, rebranding the corporate image and renaming the station as "Azul Televisión". The station changed hands once again in 1997, with 51% of the stock being bought by Telefónica, which already owned Azul's rival Telefé. In 2002, Azul Television reverted to its original Canal 9. Azul Televisión was bought in 2002 by a society headed by the journalist and media businessman Daniel Hadad. In December 2007, he sold the network to Mexican investor Miguel Ángel González.

For many years Canal 9 was popularly known as "El canal de la palomita" ("The channel of the little dove"), as the station's logo was a small white dove.