Red UNO de Bolivia (literally "Network One", commonly referred to as Red UNO and occasionally also called simply UNO, UNO being the initials of Unión Nacional de Organizaciones Televisivas,[1] "National Union of Television Organizations") is a national Bolivian television network owned by businessman Ivo Kuljis.[2] It started operations in April 1984 in Santa Cruz and in 1985 in La Paz. Its most notable programming is Notivisión (news) and "El Mañanero (morning magazine)".[3] It also maintains affiliation deals with three channels in Potosí, Sucre and Tarija.
History
In 1979, Ivo Kuljis founded production company PROTEL (Producciones Gráficas y Televisión), the first private television production company in Bolivia, using the most advanced video and television equipment at the time. PROTEL in the early 80s (1982 to 1983 approx.) started making test broadcasts, without the permission of the Bolivian authorities, despite problems the country was facing, such as hyperinflation and lack of social control. The government shut down PROTEL's broadcasts and later Kuljis spoke with mayor Velarde to grant him a private television station.[4]
Cruceña de Television and Teleandina
Cruceña de Televisión (Channel 13) was established on February 2, 1984[5] and launched on the air on April 1, 1984, owned by Ivo Kuljis. Until then, Santa Cruz only had two television stations, channel 7 from the government's Televisión Boliviana (still in black and white) and channel 11 from UAGRM (in full color). Broadcasting hours and signal reach were limited, yet it became the first private television station in the city.[4]
In the city of La Paz it began its broadcasts on July 1, 1985, under the name of Teleandina on VHF channel 11, with broadcasts from Monday to Friday at 6:00 p.m. and on weekends at 5:00 pm., being owned by brothers Mario and Hugo Roncal.[6] At the time the channel broadcast pirated content from other countries, a recurrent practice in early private television stations.[7] Back then, filmmaker Hugo Roncal was the channel's general manager. In 1987 the transmitting antenna changed and Teveandina expanded its broadcast schedules starting at 11:00 a.m. from Monday to Friday and at 6:00 a.m. on Sundays. Teleandina's studio was located in the center of the city and they moved to Miraflores first and to Sopocachi at the end of the 1980s, thus broadcasting regularly since November 24, 1988.
Teleandina's first programs were Virgul, an animated cartoon; the America's Top 10; Julio Sabala specials and Italian Football on Sunday mornings.
Formation of Red Uno de Bolivia (1991)
In 1991, it entered a stage of definitive consolidation. Its relationship with associated production companies allowed the station to produce national programs.
Likewise, Teleandina broadcast on channels 11 in Oruro, 13 in Santa Cruz, 6 (later moved to 9) in Cochabamba (channel 2 CCA Corazón de América is an independent channel that broadcast some programs), 11 in La Paz and had repeater stations throughout the country.[1][8]
Ivo Kuljis used the station to intensively promote his political campaigns in 1993 and 1997.[9]
In November 1994, a new stage of technological growth begins with a new transmission equipment adapted to work at an altitude of 4000 meters above sea level and with a power of 5 kW.[1]
Work was done on the ideal conditioning for the operation of this new equipment, which consisted of new irradiation antennas, a new tower and adequate electrical installations.
The work carried out made it possible to improve the quality of the signal, thus perfecting the sharpness of the image; and a greater reach allowing a wide national coverage.
Ivo launched a sister channel to Red Uno in 1996, Canal Mágico (Magic Channel), aimed at children.[4] The channel closed around 2002.
2000s
Rumors began cirgulating in 2001 that Eric Jürgensen was set to return to Bolivia as the director of programs of Red Uno.[10] He was named director of the network in the middle of the month, reaching the post from January 2002.[11]
The digitization process started in 2004, when Red Uno bought a 10 kilowatt Harris Platinum transmitter for the station in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.[12] For the second half of 2006, the network promised an investment worth US$500,000 in digital non-linear editing equipment.[13]
In 2005, Red Uno aired Floricienta, leading in its 7pm timeslot with an audience share of 24.9%.[14]
2010s
The network in 2011 had, according to a survey conducted by Revista IN, an audience share of 21%, being the second most watched television network in Bolivia, behind Unitel. Three years earlier (2008), the network was in third place (18%)[15]
In 2012, Red Uno inaugurated new studios located in Santa Cruz and the modernization of its equipment to be able to broadcast and record in HD.[citation needed] However, it was not until 2018 when the channel began broadcasting on digital terrestrial television (DTT) in high definition.
The network in 2013 was planning the conversion of its facilities to HD by 2014, which was the initial date set by Evo Morales.[16]
Red Uno began to have a crisis in 2015 and caused by a labor award, in August 2020, the ordinary justice freezes the accounts of Red Uno (valued at a value of more than Bs 2,000,000); the channel suffers several layoffs and the crisis of its programming. The problem is (even today) that there is sufficient evidence of labor abuse that still happens in that company. This fact was covered up by the previous government and only the Ordinary Justice of Santa Cruz has responded by freezing accounts.
Digital phase and current situation (since 2018)
The network unveiled a new brand identity on December 5, 2022, with the unveiling of a new slogan (Red Uno Para Todos) and a song. The new slogan reflects both inclusion and cultural diversity of Bolivia. The blue blob was also relocated being placed inside the O of the wordmark.[17]
Red Uno has its studios 1 and 2 in the second northern ring road of Santa Cruz. They are accessed by Cristóbal de Mendoza esq. Honduras, very close to there at Fortín Toledo Esquina Canada, has its studios 3 and 4. In August 2019, it opened its "El Bajio" unit in the sixth ring road of Pirai Avenue with the largest television studio in Bolivia, its studio 5, approximately one thousand square meters. It also has central control, in addition to studies in La Paz and Cochabamba.
Cristóbal de Mendoza Fortín Toledo and Av. Pirai, Santa Cruz (5 studios, 8 sets): Notivisión Santa Cruz, Bigote, Que no me pierda Santa Cruz, El mañanero Santa Cruz, Cocineros bolivianos Santa Cruz, Factor X and Los Marquina. Regional administrative offices.
Romecín Campos 592, La Paz (4 sets): Notivisión La Paz, Que no me pierda La Paz, El mañanero La Paz and Cocineros bolivianos La Paz. Center check. Satellite Teleport.
Uyuni 1029, Cochabamba (2 studios): Notivisión Cochabamba and El mañanero Cochabamba.
There is also a broadcast facility in Sucre and Tarija given by the "Grupo de Comunicaciones del Sur" for the channel and for Radio Panamericana.[citation needed]
Programming
Its programming until its crisis was still notable for telenovelas from TV Globo (Brazil), Caracol (Colombia), Latin Media Corporation (India). Even between 2011 and 2017, productions of Televisa and South Korean soap operas stood out. The network was the first option for Televisa in 2013 to export its products to Bolivia.[16]Televisa went to Bolivisión after the meager results and the South Korean telenovelas would be displaced by the Turkish ones. In this genre, it aired telenovelas on Show TV and Kanal D, also with regular results. What characterized the channel as an alternative to Unitel and ATB, were more realities and the mixture of its own programs, classic CBS series and even fiction, and national TV shows (such as the former ¡Qué familiaǃ Los Serrano for example, the first sitcom made in Bolivia[16]).
The network premiered a local adaptation of Televisa's format Bailando por un Sueño in 2015, with a second season announced in July of that year.[19]
The network started airing telenovelas from TV Globo in 2018, which up until then were mainly associated with Unitel.[20][21]
In 2020, Red Uno received a package of dramas produced by Nippon Television which was also bound for Teleamazonas in Ecuador. Both dramas (Mother and Woman) were both series whose Turkish adaptations were already shown in the Latin American market.[22]
In June 2020, Red Uno started carrying Nickelodeon series on Sunday mornings.[23]
El mañanero: Morning magazine, informative format.
Sabores Bolivianos: Original version of Cocineros argentinos, a program dedicated to cooking.
Qué No Me Pierda: Nightly political talk show. In 2013, it was prositioned as "a high-impact political talk show, competing with Hollywood productions".[16]
La Noche de la Gri: Weekend talk show, hosted by Grisel Quiroga.
100 Bolivianos Dicen: adaptation of the Family Feud format that premiered in 2023.[25]
Former programming
Bigote
Announcers
Jesus Rodriguez (2008–2020)
Veronica Sejas Zamorano (2019–present)
Slogans
2013–2014: Somos alegría, somos uno (We are joy, we are one)
2014–2015: El canal de la alegría (The Channel of Joy)
2016–2019: La alegría es naranja (Joy is orange)
2018–2022: Cada vez mejor (Getting better and better)
The transmitter of the Cochabamba station was damaged by a dynamite attack on September 16, 2008, a few months after the Unitel affiliate in Yacuiba suffered the same to its facilities.[27]
