Mass media
Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets.
Broadcast media transmit informati ...
available in Colombia consisting of several different types of communications media:
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
,
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
,
cinema
Cinema may refer to:
Film
* Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography
* Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image
** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking
...
,
newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
-based
Web site
A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Wikip ...
s. Colombia also has a national
music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...
industry.
Many of the media are controlled by large for-profit corporations who reap revenue from
advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...
ed material, largely affected by piracy.
Media in Colombia is regulated by the Ministry of Communications and the National Television Commission.
Many deregulation and
convergence
Convergence may refer to:
Arts and media Literature
*''Convergence'' (book series), edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen
*Convergence (comics), "Convergence" (comics), two separate story lines published by DC Comics:
**A four-part crossover storyline that ...
have occurred in an attempt by the government to turn the mass media industry in Colombia more competitive, leading to mega-mergers, further concentration of media ownership, and the emergence of multinational media conglomerates. Critics allege that localism, local news and other content at the community level, media spending and coverage of news, and
diversity
Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to:
Business
*Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce
*Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers
* ...
of ownership and views have suffered as a result of these processes of media concentration.
In 2015 Colombia ranked 128th place on the Reporters Without Borders press freedom scale, making it one of the most dangerous places to be a mass media journalist.
Newspapers
Newspaper media in Colombia date back to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The first newspaper published in Colombia was ''La Bagatela'', edited by
Antonio Nariño
Antonio Amador José de Nariño y Álvarez del Casal (Santa Fé de Bogotá, Colombia 1765 – 1824 Villa de Leyva, Colombia)Hector, M., and A. Ardila. Hombres y mujeres en las letras de Colombia. 2. Bogota: Magisterio, 2008. 25. Print. was a C ...
in 1811. In Colombia the most read and influential newspaper is '' El Tiempo'', which also has the highest
newspaper circulation
Print circulation is the average number of copies of a publication. The number of copies of a non-periodical publication (such as a book) are usually called print run. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold, often called paid circulat ...
in the country. It was founded in 1911 by
Alfonso Villegas Restrepo
Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...
El Espectador
''El Espectador'' (meaning "The Spectator") is a newspaper with national circulation within Colombia, founded by Fidel Cano Gutiérrez on 22 March 1887 in Medellín and published since 1915 in Bogotá. It changed from a daily to a weekly editio ...
'', founded in 1887 by Fidel Cano Gutiérrez, was for many years one of the most important dailies in Colombia but due to a financial crisis its circulation was restricted to one edition weekly between 2001 and 2008, when it returned as a daily. ''
El Nuevo Siglo
''El Nuevo Siglo'' ( en, The New Century) is a regional daily newspaper based in Bogotá, Colombia.
History and profile
It was founded in 1925 with the name ''El Siglo'' by Laureano Gómez Castro and José de la Vega, but its staunch opposition ...
'', a conservative newspaper, focuses on political news. '' El Espacio'', founded in 1965 by Ciro Gómez Mejía, was the main
yellow journalism
Yellow journalism and yellow press are American terms for journalism and associated newspapers that present little or no legitimate, well-researched news while instead using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. Techniques may include ...
newspaper in the country until 2013 when it was sold to Roberto Esper Espaje after it could not cope with the competence of fledgling tabloids ''Q'Hubo'' and ''Extra''. ''El Tiempo'' and ''El Espectador'' are the only newspapers of national distribution.
Free newspapers include ''
Publimetro
Metro International is a Swedish global media company based in Luxembourg that publishes the ''Metro'' newspapers. Metro International's advertising sales have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 41 percent since launch of the first news ...
'' (Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and Barranquilla) and '' ADN'', published by El Tiempo in the same cities mentioned plus Bucaramanga.
'' El País'' newspaper is the main source of written information in the south-western region of the country, specially in the Valle del Cauca department. ''
El Colombiano ''El Colombiano'' (''The Colombian'') is the leading newspaper in Antioquia Department in Colombia whose headquarters are located in Medellín.
The first edition of this newspaper was published on February 6, 1912, which only had one page, 13 adve ...
'' newspaper, based in Medellín, is the most influential newspaper in the
Paisa Region
A Paisa is someone from a region in the northwest of Colombia, including part of the West and Central ''cordilleras'' of the Andes in Colombia. The Paisa region is formed by the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío. S ...
La Opinión
''La Opinión'' is a Spanish-language daily newspaper and website based in Los Angeles, California. It is the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the United States and the second-most read newspaper in Los Angeles (after ''The Los Angeles Time ...
'', and '' El Heraldo'', which covers the area of the
Caribbean Region of Colombia
The Caribbean region of Colombia or Caribbean coast region is in the north of Colombia and is mainly composed of 8 departments located contiguous to the Caribbean.tabloid format newspaper with circulation of some 150,000 per week. It is edited by
MIRA
Mira (), designation Omicron Ceti (ο Ceti, abbreviated Omicron Cet, ο Cet), is a red-giant star estimated to be 200–400 light-years from the Sun in the constellation Cetus.
ο Ceti is a binary stellar system, consisting of a vari ...
political party.
El Bogotano is a virtual news platform with a tradition en newsprint since 1973. It is an open ended virtual newspaper that allows for independent journalists to publish in its multiple content platforms.
The main current issues magazines published in Colombia are ''
Semana
''Semana'' (Spanish: ''Week'') is a weekly magazine in Colombia.
History
''Semana'' was founded in 1946 by Alberto Lleras Camargo (who would become president of Colombia in 1958) and that folded in 1961. It was relaunched by journalist Felipe ...
'' and ''
Cromos
''Cromos'' is a Colombian varieties and photojournalism magazine, known for widely covering the Miss Colombia pageant on editions called ''Mini Cromos''. The magazine was founded in 1916 by Miguel Santiago Valencia and Abelardo Arboleda, both fro ...
The country has three major national radio networks: Radiodifusora Nacional de Colombia, a state-run national radio; Caracol Radio and RCN Radio, privately owned networks with hundreds of affiliates. There are other national networks, including Cadena Super,
Todelar
Todelar is a system of radio stations that covers all of Colombia, founded in 1953 by Bernardo Tobón de la Roche. Its flagship station is ''La Voz de Bogotá'' since 2017. ''Radio Continental'', also in Bogotá, had this role until 2016, having j ...
, and Colmundo, among others. Many hundreds of radio stations are registered with the Ministry of Communications.
* Caracol Radio, founded in Medellín in 1948. It was owned by
Julio Mario Santo Domingo
Julio Mario Santo Domingo Pumarejo (October 16, 1923 – October 7, 2011) was a Colombian-American billionaire businessman, diplomat and patriarch of the Santo Domingo family who lived in New York City. He controlled more than 100 companies in ...
until 2004, when the network was rescinded of
Caracol TV
Caracol is a large ancient Maya archaeological site, located in what is now the Cayo District, of Belize. It is situated approximately south of Xunantunich, and the town of San Ignacio, and from the Macal River. It rests on the Vaca Plateau ...
Los 40 Principales
Los 40 (The 40, stylized as LOS40 and formerly ''Los 40 Principales'', es, Los Cuarenta) is a Top 40 music radio network and radio station brand in many Spanish-speaking countries from PRISA Radio. The station has its origins as a music show ...
Colombia.
** HJCK. Cultural station. Founded in 1950. Since 2005 it is broadcast by Internet only.
** Radioacktiva - Planeta Rock. Founded in 1989.
Rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
programming.
* RCN Radio. Founded in 1948 by Enrique and Roberto Ramírez. Its main secondary networks are: La Mega (
Pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
), Rumba Stereo (
Reggaeton
Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico.
It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American hip hop, ...
), Amor Stereo, Antena 2 (sport broadcasting to 20 cities countrywide), La Cariñosa, El Sol, La FM and Radio Uno (
Vallenato
Vallenato () or "Szlager" in Wayuu language (from the German "Schlager"), is a popular folk music genre from Colombia. It primarily comes from its Caribbean region. ''Vallenato'' literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing t ...
public broadcaster
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
, oversees three national television stations (one public-commercial, one institutional, and one educational). Television stations include:
*
Caracol TV
Caracol is a large ancient Maya archaeological site, located in what is now the Cayo District, of Belize. It is situated approximately south of Xunantunich, and the town of San Ignacio, and from the Macal River. It rests on the Vaca Plateau ...
: General programming. Founded in 1956 by Fernando Londoño Henao, Cayetano Betancourt, Carlos Sanz de Santamaría and Pedro Navas as a production company. It's a national network since 1998.
*
RCN TV
RCN may refer to:
* ''Radio Cadena Nacional (disambiguation)'', a broadcast network in Colombia
** RCN Radio
** RCN TV
* RCN Corporation (formerly Residential Communications Network), a cable television, telephone, and Internet service provider in ...
: General programming. Founded in 1967 as a production company. It's a national network since 1998.
*
Señal Colombia
Señal Colombia is a Colombian public Terrestrial television, which offers opinion, informative, entertainment, educational, sports and cultural content and is part of RTVC Sistema de Medios Públicos.
History
Señal Colombia began its broadca ...
: Cultural and educational broadcasting. Founded in 1970.
*
Canal Institucional
Canal Institucional is a Colombian public Terrestrial television channel launched on February 2, 2004 to replace Canal A after its merger with the programmer Audiovisuales.
The television station broadcasts the sessions of the Congress of the R ...
: Institutional programming. Created in 2004 to replace public-commercial channel
Canal A
Canal A (previously known as ''Cadena Dos'') was a Colombian open television network launched on January 16, 1971, under the name ''Tele9 Corazón''.
History
TV9 Telebogotá (Teletigre), the first private television station in Colombia, began ...
(founded 1972 as Segunda Cadena).
*
Canal Uno
Canal 1 ( en, Channel 1; pronounced "Canal Uno") is a Colombian state-owned television channel. It is owned by the Government of Colombia and managed by Plural Comunicaciones, S.A.S, a private company. From 1957 to 2017, the channel was administe ...
, state-owned national television network, whose programming is provided by private companies. It is the first television station in Colombia, founded in 1954.
Regional and local stations include:
*
Canal Capital
Canal Capital is a Colombian local public television channel, launched 3 November 1997, operated as an industrial and commercial company, property of the government of Bogotá
Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbr ...
: Local state-run channel to Bogotá
* Citytv: Local private channel to Bogotá
*
Teleantioquia
Teleantioquia is a Colombian regional public television channel, with headquarters in Medellín
Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, ...
Telepacífico
Telepacífico is a Colombian regional public television network, created in 1986 as the city of Cali celebrated its 450th anniversary. It started broadcasting on July 3, 1988, with 24 weekly programming hours. It was the third regional network in t ...
Pacific region
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
Manizales
Manizales () is a city in central Colombia. It is the capital of the Department of Caldas, and lies near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano.
Currently, the city is the main center for the production of Colombian coffee and an important hub for higher ...
, coverage in the
Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis
The Colombian coffee region ( es, Eje Cafetero), also known as the Coffee Triangle ( es, Triángulo del Café) is a part of the Paisa region in the rural area of Colombia. It is famous for growing and producing the majority of Colombian coffee ...
*
Telecaribe
Telecaribe is a regional television network for the Caribbean region of Colombia.
History
The station was set up in the early 1980s in Valledupar, Colombia and was created by a local entrepreneur named Jose Jorge Dangond. It started as an unli ...
: Regional channel based in Barranquilla, covers the
Caribbean Region of Colombia
The Caribbean region of Colombia or Caribbean coast region is in the north of Colombia and is mainly composed of 8 departments located contiguous to the Caribbean.Televisión Regional del Oriente: Regional channel based in
Bucaramanga
Bucaramanga () is the capital and largest city of the department of Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth-largest economy by GDP in Colombia, has the lowest unemployment rate and has the ninth-largest population in the country, with 6 ...
and
Cúcuta
Cúcuta (), officially San José de Cúcuta, is a Colombian municipality, capital of the department of Norte de Santander and nucleus of the Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta. The city is located in the homonymous valley, at the foot of the Eastern ...
, covers the departaments of
Santander
Santander may refer to:
Places
* Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain
* Santander Department, a department of Colombia
* Santander State, former state of Colombia
* Santander de Quilichao, a m ...
and
Norte de Santander
North Santander (Spanish: Norte de Santander) () is a department of Northeastern Colombia. It is in the north of the country, bordering Venezuela. Its capital is Cúcuta, one of the country's major cities.
North Santander is bordered by Vene ...
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...
Internet access in Colombia shows a marked increase during the last few years. As September 2009, the web connections surpasses two million, as compared with an estimated total of 900,000 Internet subscribers by the end of 2005. The current figure equated to 17 million Internet users, plus 3.8 million mobile internet users, or 38.5 percent of the 2009 population, as compared with 4,739,000 Internet users in 2005, or 11.5 percent of the 2005 population (10.9 per 100 inhabitants).Colombia country profile
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
Federal Research Division
The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress.
The Federal Research Division provides directed research and analysis on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the Unit ...
(February 2007). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...
.''
Media ownership
Media ownership remains concentrated in the hands of wealthy families, large national conglomerates, or groups associated with one or the other of the two dominant political parties. The first foreign media owner in the country is the Spanish media conglomerate Prisa, which acquired majority ownership of the country's largest radio network. There are public television and radio networks and two news agencies (Ciep–El País and Colprensa).
Freedom of the press
The law provides for freedom of speech and of the press, and the government generally has respected these rights in practice. Although security forces generally have not subjected journalists to harassment, intimidation, or violence, there have been exceptions, as well as reports of threats and violence against journalists by corrupt officials. Colombian journalists practice self-censorship to avoid reprisals by corrupt officials, criminals, and members of illegal armed groups. In the fifth annual Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index published in October 2006, Colombia ranked 131 of a total of 168 countries, a decline from its 2005 ranking of 128. More than 80 journalists have been murdered in the past decade for doing their jobs. Major international wire services, newspapers, and television networks have a presence in the country and generally operate free of government interference.
See also
*
Communications in Colombia
Since being liberalized in 1991, the Colombian telecommunications sector has added new services, expanded coverage, improved efficiency, and lowered costs. The sector has had the second largest (after energy) investment in infrastructure (54 percen ...