XHDF-TDT (channel 1) is the
flagship station
In broadcasting, a flagship (also known as a flagship station or key station) is the broadcast station which originates a television network, or a particular radio or television program that plays a key role in the branding of and consumer loyal ...
of Mexico's
Azteca Uno
Azteca Uno (formerly Azteca Trece) is a Mexican national broadcast television network owned by TV Azteca, with more than 100 transmitters across the country. Azteca Uno broadcasts on virtual channel 1. Azteca Uno programming is available in M ...
television network
A television broadcaster or television network is a telecommunications network for the distribution of television show, television content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations, pay television providers or ...
, located in
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
. Azteca Uno can be seen in most major cities in Mexico through
TV Azteca
Televisión Azteca, S.A.B. de C.V., commonly known as TV Azteca, is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate owned by Grupo Salinas. It is the second-largest mass media company in Mexico after Televisa. It primarily competes with Televisa as well as so ...
's
owned-and-operated transmitter network. XHDF provides
HD programming to other transmitters and cable and satellite viewers.
History
Initial years of operation
The concession for XHDF-TV was awarded in 1968 alongside that of
XHTM-TV channel 8. The two stations were intended to come on in time for the
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...
. While the first programs were broadcast on September 1 with the transmission of the fourth government report of President
Gustavo Díaz Ordaz
Gustavo Díaz Ordaz Bolaños (; 12 March 1911 – 15 July 1979) was a Mexican politician and member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He served as the President of Mexico from 1964 to 1970. Previously, he served as a member of t ...
, full programs began with the opening of the Olympic Games on October 12. XHDF was owned by
Organización Radio Centro through concessionaire Corporación Mexicana de Radio y Televisión, S.A. de C.V. The station had studios and a transmitter at the
Torre Latinoamericana along with a second facility on Calle Mina in the historic center of Mexico City, but XHDF primarily broadcast filmed series with fewer resources than its Mexico City competitors.
Nationalization
In 1972, due to debts owed to the state-owned (Mexican Industrial Credit Society or SOMEX), XHDF and Corporación Mexicana de Radio y Televisión was nationalized.
The first director of the government-owned Canal 13 was Antonio Menéndez González, and after his death, he was succeeded by
Enrique González Pedrero, senator of the state of Tabasco from the
PRI. Corporación Mexicana de Radio y Televisión, along with another state-owned enterprise, Tele-Radio Nacional, began receiving new television concessions as part of a national expansion of the Mexico City station into a national television network.
One of the first orders of business for Canal 13 was a relocation. On July 14, 1976, Canal 13's new facilities in the
Ajusco
Ajusco is a lava dome volcano located just south of Mexico City, Mexico, in the Tlalpan borough of the city. It is the highest point in the city.
Etymology
Ajusco is a Náhuatl word variously translated as "source of waters" or "watered grove ...
area of Mexico City were formally inaugurated by President
Luis Echeverría
Luis Echeverría Álvarez (; 17 January 1922 – 8 July 2022) was a Mexican lawyer, academic, and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 57th president of Mexico from 1970 to 1976. Previously, ...
. The event was attended by various figures from the political and business sectors of the country, including Secretary of the Interior
Mario Moya Palencia and Secretary of Communications and Transportation
Eugenio Méndez Docurro, as well as
Emilio Azcárraga Milmo
Emilio Azcárraga Milmo or Emilio Azcárraga Jr. (September 6, 1930, in San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas – April 16, 1997, outside Miami, Miami, Florida) was a Mexican businessman and the son of Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta and Laura Milmo Hi ...
, Romulo O'Farrill and
Miguel Alemán Velasco, who served as directors of
Televisa
Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., simply known as Televisa, is a Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content.
In April ...
.
In 1983, the Mexican government reorganized its broadcast holdings. The result was the creation of the Mexican Television Institute, which changed its name to
Imevisión
The Instituto Mexicano de la Televisión (''Mexican Television Institute''), known commercially as Imevisión after 1985, was a state broadcaster and federal government agency of Mexico. At its height, Imevisión programmed two national networks ...
in 1985. Imevisión comprised not only Canal 13, now known as , but the former Televisión de la República Mexicana, with its
channel 22 station, and a new network known as and broadcast in Mexico City by the brand-new
XHIMT-TV
XHIMT-TDT (channel 7) is the flagship station and namesake of Mexico's Azteca 7 television network, located in Mexico City.
History
XHIMT came to air on May 15, 1985, as part of Imevisión's relaunch of the Televisión de la República Mexican ...
(channel 7).
During the Imevisión years, Red Nacional 13 continued to broadcast commercial programming, although it featured some programs with a cultural focus, such as , with Alejandro Aura, and several programs with the journalist Jorge Saldaña.
Privatization
In 1993, the administration of
Carlos Salinas de Gortari
Carlos Salinas de Gortari (; born 3 April 1948) is a Mexicans, Mexican economist, historían and former politician who served as the 60th president of Mexico from 1988 to 1994. Considered the frontman of Mexican Neoliberalism by formulating, p ...
auctioned off Imevisión and some other government-owned media ventures in various packages. Radio Televisión del Centro, headed by electronics store owner
Ricardo Salinas Pliego, bought all of the TV stations. The result was the creation of Televisión Azteca, which took its name from the holding company created for the largest of the packages: the Red Nacional 13, including XHDF.
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's signal is
multiplexed
In telecommunications and computer networking, multiplexing (sometimes contracted to muxing) is a method by which multiple analog or digital signals are combined into one signal over a shared medium. The aim is to share a scarce resource— ...
:
Repeaters
XHDF-TDT has eight direct repeaters:
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
Analog-to-digital conversion
XHDF was among the first stations in the country to obtain approval to build a digital television station, doing so in May 2005. The initial digital facility broadcast with just 37.6 kW, though its power was significantly raised ahead of the end of analog television. At midnight on December 17, 2015, XHDF analog on
VHF channel 13 was shut off part of the IFT mandated transition from analog to digital television. In October 2016, the Azteca 13 network nationwide moved from virtual channel 13 to 1, with even the Mexico City station abandoning its longtime channel 13 designation. Ultimately, on January 1, 2018, the entire network was rebranded from Azteca Trece to Azteca Uno.
References
{{Mexican broadcast television
1968 establishments in Mexico
HDF-TDT
HDF-TDT
Television channels and stations established in 1968
HDF-TDT