TV3 (Catalonia)

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TV3 <tr><th colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">Image:Tv3 logo2005.JPG</th></tr> <tr><th>Launched</th><td>September 11, 1983</td></tr><tr><th>Owned by</th><td>Televisió de Catalunya</td></tr><tr><th>Audience share</th><td>17% (September '06, Source:[1])</td></tr><tr><th>Headquarters</th><td>Sant Joan Despí</td></tr><tr><th>Sister channel(s)</th><td>33, K3, 3/24</td></tr><tr><th>Website</th><td>http://www.tvcatalunya.com</td></tr><tr><th style="background-color: #BFDFFF; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2">Availability </th></tr><tr><th style="background-color: #d0e5f5;" align="center" colspan="2">Terrestrial</th></tr><tr><th>Analogue</th><td></td></tr><tr><th>DTTV</th><td></td></tr><tr><th style="background-color: #d0e5f5;" align="center" colspan="2">Cable</th></tr><tr><th>ONO</th><td>Channel 7</td></tr><tr><th style="background-color: #d0e5f5;" align="center" colspan="2">IPTV over ADSL</th></tr><tr><th>Imagenio</th><td>Channel 7</td></tr>

TV3 is the name of Catalonia's first public television channel. It belongs to Televisió de Catalunya (Catalan Television), a subsidiary of the CCRTV. TV3 broadcasts programs only in Catalan, with an optional dual track in the original language for some foreign-language series and movies. TV3 is also a founding member of FORTA, the Federation of Autonomic Radio and Television Organizations of Spain.

1 History
2 TV3 today
- 2.1 Self-produced series
3 Criticisms and controversies
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

TV3 started its trial broadcasts on September 11, 1983 (the National Day of Catalonia), but its regular broadcasts started a few months later, on January 16, 1984. <ref name="history">CCRTV - History</ref>. TV3 was the first television channel to broadcast only in Catalan. On 1985, TV3 expanded its coverage to Andorra, Northern Catalonia and the Valencian Country, also Catalan-speaking lands. One year later, TV3 inaugurated its new headquarters in Sant Joan Despí, near Barcelona. <ref name="history" />

Since 1987, TV3 has broadcast a second audio channel on almost all foreign-language series and movies with the original program audio <ref name="history" />, first using the Zweikanalton system and currently using NICAM. Local series and movies are usually broadcast in NICAM stereo, although sometimes an audio narration track for blind and visually impaired viewers is provided instead.

In 1988, TV3 started a descentralization process, first broadcasting programs in the Aranese language for the Val d'Aran and, one year later, opening branch offices in Tarragona, Girona and Lleida and creating the Telenoticies Comarques, a regional news program broadcast simultaneously in four different editions, one for each of the four Catalan provinces.

In 1995, Televisió de Catalunya launched TVCi, a satellite channel which broadcasts a selection of TV3 programs though the Astra and Hispasat satellites.

In 2002 started broadcasting in the Digital terrestrial television system.

[edit] TV3 today

TV3 is leader in audience in Catalonia. On top of the list is TV3's daily news program, Telenotícies, which usually gets the highest ranking in both timeslots (14:30 and 20:30). It includes a very highly-regarded weather bulletin. The daily soap opera El cor de la ciutat is the most watched fiction program in Catalonia, specially among the female audience, drawing around 33%<ref name="vertele_5-7">Audiencias Autonómicas 05/07/2006</ref> <ref name="vertele_6-7">Audiencias Autonómicas 06/07/2006</ref> <ref name="vertele_12-7">Audiencias Autonómicas 12/07/2006</ref> of the audience with as much as 40% on season finales <ref name="vertele_17-7">"El cor" se despide en prime time ante casi un 40% de los espectadores</ref>. Another soap opera, Ventdelplà, comes close, with share of about 25-29%. <ref name="vertele_5-7" /> <ref name="vertele_12-7" />

TV3 is also considered by the Catalan public to be the most informative channel and the one with the best programmes <ref>Catalan Audiovisual Council's 2005 report on public opinion </ref>.

TV3's current schedule contains informational programs, both daily (Telenotícies, La Nit al Dia) and weekly (Entre línies, 30 minuts), self-produced series (El cor de la ciutat, Mar de Fons, Porca misèria), international dubbed series (The Shield, Star Trek Voyager, Supernanny), morning and talk-shows (Els Matins—around 23% share, El Club—around 25%-30% share <ref name="vertele_5-7" /> <ref name="vertele_12-7" />, No em ratllis!), game shows (Toca el 2), humor programs (Polònia, Barçòvia, Just for Laughs), culinary programs (Cuines, La Cuina de l'Isma), sport programs (Gol a gol) as well as movies and sport broadcasts (La Liga matches, Formula One races).

[edit] Self-produced series

TV3 produces a number of series and TV movies each year. These include <ref>Sèries de ficció i construcció nacional: La producció pròpia de Televisió de Catalunya (1994-2003) </ref> :

Comedies: Teresina, S.A. (1992), Quico (1994), Oh, Europa! (1994) and its sequel Oh, Espanya! (1996), Pedralbes Centre (1995), Plats bruts (1999-2002), Psico express (2002), Jet Lag (2001-2006), Majoria absoluta (2002), 16 dobles (2003), L'un per l'altre (2003), Lo Cartanyà (2005-ongoing but on hiatus)
Dramas: Estació d’enllaç (1994), Sitges (1996), El joc de viure (1997), Dones d’aigua (1997), Laura (1998), Crims (2000), Porca misèria (2005-ongoing)
Historical dramas: La memòria dels Cargol (1999), Temps de Silenci (2001), Des del Balcó (2001), Mirall trencat (2002).
Soap operas: Josep Maria Benet i Jornet is the most prolific soap opera author, having penned sucessful series like Poble Nou (1993-94) and its sequel Rosa (1995-96), Nissaga de Poder (1996-98) and its sequel Nissaga, l'herència (1999), Laberint d'ombres (1998-00), El cor de la ciutat (2000-ongoing), Ventdelplà (2005-ongoing, but on hiatus) and Mar de Fons (2006-ongoing, alongside Rodolf Sirera and David Castillo). Maria Mercè Roca and Sergi Belbel penned Secrets de Família (1995-96).

[edit] Criticisms and controversies

Since the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia reform referendum and in the current 2006 Generalitat elections, all the electoral information during a campaign broadcasted by TV3 news programs is unsigned in protest of TV3 (and most Catalonian) reporters to the rules that assign the air time of each political party and the order they air in the order of electoral seats (the more seats, the more airtime and first on air) and not based in objective and professional criteria. <ref>Vilaweb: El cinc candidats a la Generalitat, junts en un debat a TV3</ref>.