SICOM Televisión

XHPBZC-TDT
Channels
BrandingSICOM Televisión
Programming
AffiliationsIndependent educational
Canal 22
TV UNAM
DW
Canal 44 de Guadalajara
Ownership
OwnerGobierno del Estado de Puebla
History
FoundedNovember 26, 2003
Former call signs
  • XHPZL-TV (1999-2004, Zacatlán)
  • XHPUE-TV/-TDT (2003-2021, Puebla)
Former channel number(s)
26 (analog, 2003–2015; digital virtual, 2015–2021)
Canal Once (to mid-2005)
Technical information
Licensing authority
IFT
Transmitter coordinates19°04′39″N 98°20′42″W / 19.07750°N 98.34500°W / 19.07750; -98.34500
Links
Websitesicom.gob.mx/television/

SICOM Televisión (virtual channel 16) is the statewide public television network of the Mexican state of Puebla, with transmitters in Puebla City and Zacatlán. It is part of the SICOM, Sistema Estatal de Telecomunicaciones (State Telecommunications System), which also provides public radio service in the state. Covering a little over 40% of the state (by population), it offers educational, cultural and alternative programming, much of which is locally generated content intended to address the needs, expectations and lives of Pueblan society.[1] It also airs programming from Canal 22, TV UNAM, DW and Canal 44 de Guadalajara

The network has transmitters in Puebla City and Zacatlán.

History

XHPUE-TV channel 26 received its permit in 2003, preceded by four years by the Zacatlán transmitter, originally permitted in 1999 as XHPZL-TV on channel 4. The original five-year permit for the Zacatlán transmitter expired in 2004, but XHPBZC-TDT 11 was not authorized as its replacement until 2017.

XHPUE was licensed for digital and analog transmissions on the same channel 26 in 2014; this made it one of the first two stations with such intermittent authorization, alongside XHMNL-TV in Monterrey. After several tests, it flash-cut to digital in March 2015.

On August 18, 2021, due to the impending expiration of the XHPUE-TDT concession at the end of the year, the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) authorized the modification of XHPBZC-TDT's statutory coverage area to include the entire state of Puebla, conditioned on the surrender of the Puebla City concession, which took effect December 3, 2021. At the same time, the recently renamed SET Televisión began using virtual channel 16.[2][3]

In 2023, the original SICOM name was restored after a state government study found that eight out of ten residents surveyed across 21 municipalities continued to call the state network SICOM despite being out of use for twelve years.[4]

Transmitters

RF Location ERP
11 Zacatlán 180 watts
26 Puebla City 72.8 kW

References

  1. ^ "Puebla tv". Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  2. ^ "Resolución mediante la cual el Pleno del Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones autoriza la modificación de la zona de cobertura de la concesión sobre bandas de frecuencias del espectro radioeléctrico para uso público otorgada al Gobierno del Estado de Puebla, cuya población principal a servir es Zacatlán, Puebla a través de la estación con distintivo de llamada XHPBZC-TDT" [Resolution by which the Federal Telecommunications Institute authorizes the modification of the coverage area of the public broadcasting concession awarded to the Government of the State of Puebla, whose primary locality to serve is Zacatlán, Puebla, by way of station XHPBZC-TDT] (PDF). Federal Telecommunications Institute. August 18, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  3. ^ Sánchez Mejorada y Rojas, Fernando Luis (November 11, 2021). "Asunto: Se renuncia a concesión" [In re: Concession surrender] (PDF) (in Spanish). IFT Public Registry of Concessions. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  4. ^ Bretón, Ángeles (August 24, 2023). "Gobierno de Puebla relanza SICOM con nuevos conductores y variada barra de programación" [Government of Puebla relaunches SICOM with new hosts and varied program lineup]. El Universal Puebla (in Spanish). Retrieved September 5, 2023.