Canal 9 Televida
| Industry | Television broadcasting |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 27, 1965 in Mendoza, Argentina |
| Headquarters | Mendoza , Argentina |
Area served | Mendoza province, Argentina |
Key people | Alonso family (majority owners) |
| Products | Television broadcasting |
| Owner | Alonso family (majority), Diario Los Andes (minority) |
Canal 9 Televida (call sign LV 83 TV), commonly referred to as El Nueve, operates as a television broadcaster based in Mendoza, Argentina, within Mendoza province. Functioning as an affiliate of Telefe, the station is predominantly owned by the Alonso family, with Diario Los Andes holding a smaller ownership interest.
History
The National Executive Chamber granted a license on 9 December 1963 to Cuyo Televisión S.A. for operating on VHF channel 9 in Mendoza. The station commenced regular transmissions on 27 May 1965 under the designation LV 83 TV Canal 9 de Mendoza.
In 1982, changes in ownership brought Laura Costoya de Sansi and Sigifredo Alonso into the fold, followed by a renewal of the broadcasting license. Four years later, COMFER authorized Cuyo Televisión to establish relay stations on VHF channels 5 and 9.
Canal 9 Televida was partially owned by Televisoras Provinciales, S.A., which held co-ownership of the Telefe network after the privatization of Buenos Aires' channel 11. In June 1992, Diario Los Andes purchased a 1.52% share in Cuyo Televisión, which grew to 9% by July 1998.
Televisoras Provinciales divested its shares in Televisión Federal to Atlántida Comunicaciones in April 1998; nonetheless, Canal 9’s proprietors rejected Atlántida’s proposal to acquire their broadcasting licenses.
In February 1999, the Secretaría de Comunicaciones authorized Canal 9 to carry out digital terrestrial transmission testing on channel 13 utilizing the ATSC standard. Subsequently, in June 2010, AFSCA approved trials using the ISDB-T format on channel 33.
Grupo Clarín submitted a voluntary compliance plan in November 2013 to adhere to media legislation, suggesting the sale of its Canal 9 shares through Diario Los Andes. This plan received approval in February 2014, and Clarín shareholders consented to sell their 9% stake to the Alonso family for AR$22 million by July. However, AFSCA later annulled this authorization citing alleged irregularities and initiated forced compliance measures. Legal proceedings temporarily halted these actions until mid-2015.
By late 2015, revisions to media regulations raised the maximum number of licenses permitted per company from ten to fifteen, eliminating Clarín’s requirement to divest its Canal 9 holdings. As a result, Clarín halted its compliance plan in January 2016. ENACOM formally closed all compliance plans in February, enabling Clarín to maintain its licenses. Diario Los Andes continued as a shareholder as of June 2017.
In February 2015, AFSCA granted permission for Canal 9 to transmit its high-definition signal over digital terrestrial television via channel 28.1.
On 23 October 2018, following resolution of legal conflicts with Argentine authorities, Canal 9 and El Siete were incorporated into DirecTV’s channel offerings in Mendoza.