Mass media in Guatemala is dominated in the area of commercial television by Mexican media mogul
Remigio Ángel González
Remigio Ángel González is a Mexican-born owner of the Latin American media network Albavisión. He has lived in Miami since 1987. The network (previously named Televideo Services) is named for his wife Alba Elvira Lorenzana, who is from Guatemala ...
, who since the mid-1990s has "virtual monopoly control of that nation's commercial television airwaves".Rockwell, Rick and Janus, Noreene (2001), "Stifling Dissent: the fallout from a Mexican media invasion of Central America, ''Journalism Studies'', 2: 4, 497 — 512 González controls four television stations in Guatemala - El Super Canal, Televisiete, Teleonce and
Trecevisión
Canal 13, formerly known as TeleTrece and Trecevisión is a television station headquartered in Guatemala City, Guatemala,Central American Television Touched By An Angel January 2010
González, who also owns a majority of the country's cinemas, had by 2000 also acquired 21 radio stations, including Radio Sonora, known as a leader in news.Elizabeth Fox, Fox de Cardona Fox (2002), ''Latin politics, global media'', University of Texas Press. pp52-3 The other two major radio chains are Emisoras Unidas (owned by the Archila family) and Radio Grupo Alius (owned by Alfonso Liu), a chain of Christian stations which does not compete in news or music.
A 2001 study of González' media properties in Guatemala and Nicaragua found that they had a tendency to squeeze out voices opposed to the government, and concluded that "Gonzalez’s ownership practices create an atmosphere that undercuts the development of democracy."Rockwell, Rick and Janus, Noreene (2001), "Stifling Dissent: the fallout from a Mexican media invasion of Central America, ''Journalism Studies'', 2: 4, 497 — 512 He has a strong influence in Guatemalan politics, for example giving $650,000 to
Vinicio Cerezo
Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo (born 26 December 1942) is a Guatemalan politician and the current Secretary General of the Central American Integration System (SICA). He served as President of Guatemala from 14 January 1986 to 14 January 1991.
...
Alfonso Portillo
Alfonso Antonio Portillo Cabrera (born 24 September 1951) is a Guatemalan politician who served as President of Guatemala from 2000 to 2004.
He took office on 14 January 2000, representing the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG), the party then ...
's 1999 campaign. "Political analysts say the free commercials helped Portillo win the election."
After becoming president, Portillo "named Gonzalez's brother-in-law,
Luis Rabbé
Luis Armando Rabbé Tejada (born 26 May 1956) is a Guatemalan politician and media entrepreneur. He was President of the Congress of Guatemala between 14 January 2015 and 14 January 2016. Rabbé was elected to the Congress of Guatemala in the 201 ...
, as his minister of communications, infrastructure and housing, a powerful Cabinet position whose jurisdiction includes the oversight of broadcast media."Will Weissert,
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
List of newspapers in Guatemala
This is a list of newspapers in Guatemala.
Newspapers
*'' Prensa Libre'', the second-most widely circulated newspaper in Guatemala
*Al Día'
*Noticias Guatemala'
*''Diario de Centro América'', the nation's newspaper of public record
*La Hora'
...
*
List of journalists killed in Guatemala
Guatemala is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists and media workers in Latin America. At least 342 journalists were murdered and 126 were disappeared or illegally arrested during the Guatemalan Civil War (1960–1996). On average, th ...