Telepaís is a
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
n newscast produced by
Unitel since the beginning of the network in 1997.
Its main header is located in
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra (; ), commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the largest city in Bolivia and the capital of the Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia), Santa Cruz department.
Situated on the Pirai River (Bolivia), Pirai River in the eastern Tropical ...
(where its newscast is natively produced) and it has editions for both
La Paz
La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...
and
Cochabamba
Cochabamba (; ) is a city and municipality in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital (political), capital of the Cochabamba Department and the list of cities in Bolivia, fourth largest city in Bolivia, with ...
.
History
Telepaís created after the launch of the current Unitel network in 1997. Its first presenter was Julio Cesar Caballero La Paz, who tried to emulate the format of Carlos Mesa. However, the format failed and after a string of presenters with mixed results, José Luis Pomacusi, arrived to change its formula.
The initial changes began in the way it was presentered. From the previous "talking bust" format that showed the name of the interviewee and their position, the situation was now clearly described, like
Telefe Noticias. Data tables, showing prices, temperature, statistics, career paths, detailed news, etc. that were read out by the presenter were now included.
[
The style of Telepaís is considered controversial by other social communicators and in its beginnings (March 2001) was already classified as sensationalist. Despite these claims, its ratings were successful thanks to the impact it had on Bolivian commercial television. Many of the creators, journalists and presenters of the early phase of Telepaís migrated to other TV networks, bringing and emulating the formula.][
In 2001, the network covered the situation of then-president ]Hugo Banzer Suárez
Hugo Banzer Suárez (; 10 May 1926 – 5 May 2002) was a Bolivian politician and military officer who served as the 51st president of Bolivia. He held the Bolivian presidency twice: from 1971 to 1978 as a military dictator; and then again ...
, which at the time was diagnosed with cancer and went away for health reasons to Washington DC
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
. Unitel dispatched Karla Revollo for this end, which were later sent daily to Bolivia, as well as his later return and death.[ In 2002, during the flooding of La Paz on February 19, Unitel sent all available reporters to the areas where the tragedy was occurring, while other channels continued to show its normal programming.][
Telepaís is known for its exclusive reports, which are accentuated by video effects and music.
Telepaís changed its graphics on August 3, 2010, introducing new sets, a new graphic design and use of 3D technology. The theme music used for years (Trackdown by Network Music Ensemble) was rerecorded by the National Symphony Orchestra, led by maestro David Händel.
]
Presenters
*Mariana García (Telepaís Espectáculos, 2015)
References
Bolivian television shows
Spanish-language television shows
{{Bolivia-tv-stub