Canal 7 to become Argentina’s first all-HD TV station
Juan Pablo Conti ©RapidTVNews | 17-11-2011Argentine public broadcaster Canal 7 will become the country's first terrestrial television station to shift its entire programming to high definition (HD).
The news was confirmed by the head of Argentine Radio and Television (RTA), Tristán Bauer, during an interview published by Miradas al Sur. The film director predicted the milestone would be reached by the end of this year or beginning of next.
Bauer highlighted the fact that such an achievement could come these days from the country's public broadcaster, considering that only a few years ago Canal 7 was – according to his own words – a ravished wasteland.
"This channel had become a ravished wasteland. Employees from every sector were highly unmotivated. Technologically, it looked like a 1978 museum without a maintenance service. It was a depository of TV programmes and a place where the cultural model was that set by [veteran Argentine TV producer and screenwriter] Gerardo Sofovich," said Bauer.
"Reverting that situation has taken time. In many of our public radio stations we've even had to upgrade the transmitters. We have swapped about 20 so far, and some of them were over half a century old."
Asked whether it was appropriate that a public broadcaster should allow itself to get dragged into the fierce battle for audience ratings that commercial TV networks usually propose, the RTA head replied that he actively sought high audience ratings all the time.
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