El Doce
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television broadcasting |
| Predecessor | Telecor S.A.C.I. |
| Founded | 1960-04-18 |
| Headquarters | Córdoba , Argentina |
Area served | Córdoba Province, parts of Catamarca Province |
Key people | Grupo Clarín (parent company), Artear (subsidiary managing) |
| Products | Television broadcasting |
| Parent | Grupo Clarín (via Artear) |
Canal 12 de Córdoba, commonly referred to as El Doce, is an Argentine terrestrial television broadcaster affiliated with El Trece and transmitting from Córdoba. Its signal reaches a significant portion of Córdoba Province and extends into sections of Catamarca Province through the use of repeater stations. The channel is mainly managed by Grupo Clarín via its subsidiary Artear.
History
Regular transmissions commenced on April 18, 1960, under the original callsign LU1-H TV Canal 13 de Córdoba, established by Telecor S.A.C.I. This station holds the distinction of being the first television outlet launched outside Buenos Aires, the second in the country overall, and Argentina’s inaugural privately owned TV channel.
A government decree dated October 10, 1963, permitted Telecor to shift its broadcast frequency from channel 12 to channel 13 on the VHF band, resulting in a callsign change to LV 81 TV.
The initial repeater for Canal 12 was installed atop La Rosilla Mountain on April 18, 1967, with official authorization for continuous operation granted in August 1970. In 1971, the station established its first live news connection with Buenos Aires' Canal 13 (El Trece) through the program Telenoche.
Experimental color transmissions were initiated on April 1, 1980. Subsequently, the station’s broadcasting license was renewed by governmental decree in November 1982.
In November 1987, the provincial government of Catamarca took control of Channel 11—the repeater serving Canal 12 in Sierra de Ancasti—to air public programming during evening hours, leading to a legal conflict with Telecor. By 1990, a resolution was reached restoring Telecor’s rights to Channel 11 usage, with the provincial authorities assuming responsibility for the related legal expenses.