Sistema Público de Radiodifusión del Estado Mexicano

The Sistema Público de Radiodifusión del Estado Mexicano (SPR, English: Mexican State Public Broadcasting System), known as Organismo Promotor de Medios Audiovisuales (OPMA, English: Broadcast Media Promotion Organization) until 2014, is an independent Mexican government agency. Its mission is to support the development of public television in the country and increase its national reach; it carries this goal out through ownership of a nationwide network of transmitters and the operation of its own public television channel, Canal Catorce. The agency was established by a decree published on March 31, 2010.

History

By 2010, two major public television stations existed in Mexico: the Instituto Politécnico Nacional's Canal Once, Conaculta's Canal 22. In addition, the low-powered test signal XHUNAM-TDT channel 20 and the teveunam pay TV network, owned by the largest public university in Mexico, UNAM, had been in operation since 2000 and 2005, respectively. However, not all of these stations, especially Canal 22 and teveunam, had national coverage outside of pay television services. None of them had a general national reach above 30%. Even then, major cities, including Guadalajara and Monterrey, were not in Canal Once's signal footprint.

OPMA was established with the mission of ensuring that more Mexicans could receive a wider range of public television signals. Indeed, when the first four OPMA transmitters took to the air on July 12, 2010, national coverage for Canal Once (then known as Once TV México) jumped from 28 to 42%; it is now at 66%.

The 2014 Mexican telecommunications reform transformed OPMA into SPR, effective August 13, 2014. At the same time, the system became an independent agency no longer under the auspices of the Secretariat of the Interior (SEGOB).

On August 26, 2015, the IFT awarded the SPR concessions for seven new TV stations and two radio stations.^[1] In 2016, the SPR received another package of seven TV stations, all on VHF, as well as three radio stations. A sixth radio station in Colima was approved in 2018.

Television network

SPR's flagship television network, Canal Catorce (Channel 14), broadcasts documentaries and other programs. Its programming is designed to strengthen the democratic values of Mexican society.

Television transmitters

SPR's transmitter network currently covers 66% of the Mexican population. The flagship station is XHSPR-TDT in Mexico City. Ten transmitters, denoted with asterisks, carry Canal del Congreso.^[2][3]

In 2018, in order to facilitate the repacking of TV services out of the 600 MHz band (channels 38-51), 12 SPR transmitters were assigned new channels.

Radio stations

The SPR received its first radio concessions in 2015 and added three transmitters in 2016. A sixth station, in Colima, was awarded in 2018.

Two stations are on the air, carrying Radio México Internacional:

Stations to be built:

Digital multiplex

SPR stations carry a multiplex of five or six channels. The established Canal Once, Once Niños, Canal 22 and tv•unam are joined by Canal Catorce and also by Ingenio Tv, an educational service of the Secretariat of Public Education. Third-wave SPR transmitters also have Canal del Congreso:

SPR stations use the channel numbers of the networks they carry; thus, they map to virtual channels 11 (Canal Once), 14 (Canal Catorce), 20 (tv•unam), 22 (Canal 22) and 45 (Canal del Congreso, where available).^[3]

As XEIPN and XEIMT have their own digital channels in Mexico City, XHSPR only carries Canal Catorce, Ingenio Tv and tv•unam, using the same virtual channels.

References

External links

• Official website