XHGC signed on May 10, 1952, broadcasting a Mother's Day event organized by the Excélsior newspaper, but regular programming began on August 18, 1952. The station was established by Guillermo González Camarena, a Mexican engineer who was one of the inventors of modern color television; the station's calls reflect his surnames. González Camarena was director and general manager of XHGC until his death in 1965, and XHGC's concessionaire remained Televisión González Camarena, S.A., until November 30, 1994.
In 1954, XHGC was one of the first stations in the world to broadcast an early version of 3D television, in which two of the same picture appear side by side on the screen, combined into a single 3-dimensional image using special glasses. This version of 3D television was developed by an American inventor, James Butterfield, and tested in Mexico on XHGC.[4]
Logo used from 2007 to 2013
In 1963, XHGC became the first station in Mexico to broadcast in color. By request of Guillermo González Camarena, XHGC became oriented at an audience of children and youth. The first color program broadcast was Paraíso infantil (Children's Paradise). Mexico was also likely the third country in North America and the fourth in the world, behind the United States, Cuba, and Japan, to introduce color television.
During its early years, XHGC also brought educational television to Mexico City viewers, with Telesecundaria, a pioneering educational program operated by the Secretary of Public Education.[citation needed]
At the end of the 1980s, the then-vice president of Televisa, Alejandro Burillo Azcárraga, spearheaded drastic changes in the branding of the company's television networks. While XHGC had branded as Canal 5 for years, using various logos with the number 5. However, as the network's various repeaters were not all on channel 5, the network began branding by the XHGC callsign. The landmark Energía Visual (Visual Energy) campaign, designed by Agustín Corona and Pablo Jato, featured idents with wildly varied logos and designs—a first for Mexican television. The campaign was designed to back the channel's youthful image.
The late 1980s also saw a unique split between XHGC and XEX-TV on Altzomoni, the other Canal 5 station receivable in Mexico City. The network began its broadcast day at 7 am in Mexico City, but at 4 pm in the rest of Mexico. The daytime hours on XEX (and some other Canal 5 repeaters) were filled by "TV Matutina" (later known as "Supercadena 8" or Super Channel 8), which offered repeats of Canal 5 and other Televisa programs.
In the 1990s, Canal 5 began branding with its channel number again. During this time period, Alejandro González Iñárritu, who had also been involved with Televisa's radio station XEW-FM (WFM), was involved in the creation of some of the network's promotional campaigns.
1999 saw the beginning of a shift in content providers for Canal 5, which had long been the exclusive Mexican rights holder to Disney programs such as Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, DuckTales and a Mexican version of Disney Club. In 1999, these rights began to migrate to Televisión Azteca and Azteca 7. Instead, the network began relying more on WB, Cartoon Network, Fox, and Nickelodeon programs.
Today, Canal 5 carries children's programs, films and international series, as well as sporting events including UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and FIFA World Cup matches, a limited number of Liga MX fixtures and international matches involving the Mexico national team, and select NFL games. Canal 5 also features some of Televisa's own productions, such as El Chavo Animado and Mujeres Asesinas 3 by Pedro Torres.
In 2018, the concessions of all Canal 5 stations, including XHGC, were consolidated in the concessionaire Radio Televisión, S.A. de C.V., as part of a corporate reorganization of Televisa's concessionaires.
XHGC applied for a digital channel in September 2005 and received channel 50. In 2015, it was authorized to increase power on its digital channel, from 80 to 300kW.
XHGC-TV shut off its analog signal, on VHF channel 5, on December 17, 2015, at 12:00a.m., as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television.
In 2016, in order to facilitate the repacking of TV services out of the 600MHz band (channels 38–51), XHGC was allowed to move from channel 50 to channel 31. The change occurred in April 2017, including a brief period in which both facilities operated at the same time.
Repeaters
Aside from the Canal 5 network, XHGC maintains two of its own repeaters that account for terrain masking and gaps in coverage within the licensed coverage area:
XHUAA-TDT, virtual channel 19, is a Las Estrellas television station located in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, whose over-the-air signal also covers the San Diego, California area across the international border in the United States. The station is owned by the Grupo Televisa. XHUAA began broadcasting in digital on UHF 22 in early 2006 making it the second station in Tijuana to have a digital signal.
XHIJ-TDT is a Spanish-language independent station in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, serving the Juárez–El Paso–Las Cruces metropolitan area. Owned by Grupo Intermedia and known on air as Canal 44, the station has had a variety of affiliations since signing on the air in 1980 and also produces programs such as local news.
XHDF-TDT, virtual channel 1, is the flagship station of the Azteca Uno television network in Mexico City, Mexico. Azteca Uno can be seen in most major cities in Mexico through TV Azteca's owned-and-operated transmitter network. XHDF provides HD programming to other transmitters and cable and satellite viewers.
XEQ-TDT is a Televisa TV station, based in Mexico City. XEQ is the flagship television station of the Nu9ve network. The Nu9ve network, unlike the other major networks in Mexico, is broadcast by a mix of full-time repeaters as well as local stations, operated by Televisa and its local partners, that also produce and air local programs.
XHIMT-TDT is the flagship station and namesake of Mexico's Azteca 7 network, located in Mexico City.
Azteca 7 is a Mexican network owned by TV Azteca, with more than 100 main transmitters all over Mexico.
XHCH-TDT is a television station in Chihuahua, Chihuahua. Broadcasting on virtual channel 1, XHCH is owned by TV Azteca and broadcasts its Azteca Uno network.
XHIT-TDT is a TV Azteca television station in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico. XHIT carries TV Azteca's Azteca Uno with a one-hour delay.
Azteca Uno, 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 Mexico on satellite via Sky and Dish Network, as well as all Mexican cable systems, and some Azteca Uno programming were seen in the United States on Azteca América.
XHGK-TDT is a television station in Tapachula, Chiapas. XHGK broadcasts on virtual channel 13 and is part of the Canal 13 regional network.
XHDY-TDT is a television station broadcasting from its transmitter in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas and studios in the state capital of Tuxtla Gutiérrez. XHDY broadcasts on virtual channel 13 and is part of the Telsusa regional network.
Las Estrellas is one of the cornerstone networks of TelevisaUnivision, with affiliate stations all over Mexico, flagshipped at XEW-TDT in Mexico City. Many of the programs of Las Estrellas are seen in the United States on Univision, UniMás, and Galavisión.
Nueve is a Mexican free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. The primary station and network namesake is Channel 9 of Mexico City, though the network has nationwide coverage on Televisa stations and some affiliates. Nueve offers a range of general entertainment programs.
Foro, is a broadcast news television channel owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is seen on most Mexican cable systems and full-time on two stations in Mexico, including XHTV-TDT in Mexico City, with selected programs airing on Televisa Regional and Televisa local stations. Foro is available on most Mexican cable and fiber-optic systems and the SKY Mexico satellite service, as well as on several national cable systems in the United States.
Canal 5 is a Mexican free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It traces its origins to the foundation of Channel 5 in Mexico City in 1952. Canal 5's program lineup is generally targeted at a younger audience and includes cartoons, foreign series and movies, along with a limited number of sporting events such as NFL games, boxing, the FIFA World Cup and, historically, the Olympic Games.
The Instituto Mexicano de la Televisión, known commercially as Imevisión after 1985, was a state broadcaster and federal government agency of Mexico. At its height, Imevisión programmed two national networks and additional local stations in Mexico City, Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez, Guadalajara, Mexicali, Tijuana and Monterrey.
XHTM-TDT is a television station licensed to and broadcasting from Altzomoni, State of Mexico on virtual channel 10. Founded in 1952, it was the second television station built outside of Mexico City and the first relayer of Las Estrellas.
Imagen Televisión is a national broadcast television network in Mexico, owned by Grupo Imagen. It launched on October 17, 2016, at 8 p.m.
Canal 13 is a regional broadcasting network operating in parts of Mexico, a division of Albavisión. Its largest subsidiary, Telsusa Televisión México, S.A. de C.V., holds the concessions for 12 TV stations, primarily in southeastern Mexico, obtained in the IFT-6 television station auction of 2017. The Canal 13 network also includes full-fledged TV stations in Villahermosa, San Cristóbal de las Casas—Tuxtla Gutiérrez and Tapachula, as well as their repeaters, and an additional station in Michoacán. All Canal 13 stations are assigned virtual channel 13.
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