XHTVM-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = XHTVM-TV
station_
station_slogan = Proyecto 40: por un México Libre
"(Project 40: for a Free Mexico)"
station_branding = "Proyecto 40"
analog = 40 (UHF)
digital = 26 (UHF)
affiliations = TV Azteca
founded = 1995
location = Mexico City, Mexico
callsign_meaning = XH Televisora del Valle de México
owner = Javier Moreno Valle, operated by TV Azteca
licensee = Televisora del Valle de México, S.A. de C.V.
former_callsigns =
former_affiliations = CNI (1995-1998, 2003-2005)
CNN en Español (1997-1999)
TV Azteca(1998-2000 and December 2002-January 2003)
silent (2005-2006)
effective_radiated_power =
homepage = [http://www.proyecto40.com.mx www.proyecto40.com.mx]

XHTVM-TV channel 40, also known as Proyecto 40, is a TV channel operated by TV Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico, owned by Televisora del Valle de México. Programming generally consists of news, informational and entertainment programming.

History

XHTVM first signed on in 1995 as CNI Canal 40, "CNI" being an acronym for "Corporación de Noticias e Información" (News and Information Corporation). As CNI, XHTVM concentrated on news and discussion programming, along with some general entertainment shows and infomercials. News sources for CNI came from Telenoticias, Reuters, Telemundo, Artear, Antena 3 and NBC. CNI also had 123 reporters and correspondents filing reports from throughout Mexico.

In 1997, programming rights for CNI were sold to CNN, which then used the station to rebroadcast CNN en Español, with the station's staff concentrating on the Mexico City area.

In 1999, CNI partnered with TV Azteca, becoming "Azteca 40", TV Azteca's third station. Under this partnership, CNI would carry programming provided by TV Azteca, including its news and entertainment programming.

In mid-2000, station owner Javier Moreno Valle unilaterally breaks its contract with TV Azteca, removing the network's programming from the air. As a result, TV Azteca sued Valle for breach of contract.

In December 2002, TV Azteca used armed guards to take over the station and its transmitting facilities in Cerro del Chiquihuite, renaming the channel to "Azteca 40" again; this situation caused a lot of criticism against TV Azteca and the lack of action on RTC part (RTC claimed that all its representatives were in holiday); in the mean time, CNI keep transmitting its programming on cable.

Fox would end up being questioned why he permitted the take of CNI's installations. When questioned in the presidential plane on the subject, Fox merely said, "¿Y yo por qué?" ("And why me?"), leading to one of his greatest political blunders in his tenure as president.

After the end of holiday celebrations, RTC take the matter in its hands and determined that the take over of XHTVM frequency was illegal (in TV Azteca part) and asked for the retirement of Azteca's personnel from Chiquihuite installation.

Months later, after much fuzz in the media, CNI's owners would get back their control of Chiquihuite installations.

However, shortly after the station's crisis with TV Azteca, CNI would suffer financial problems, and a looming threat of a strike by its employees.

General Electric was willing to help ease CNI's financial woes, but was not allowed to, due to the Mexican government's stance against foreign ownership of broadcasters.

On May 19, 2005, XHTVM suspended operations, due to a strike by its unionised staff, mounting financial troubles, Valle's legal troubles, and an investigation of TV Azteca and the Fox administration for tax evasion and fraud.

After several legal mistrials against Moreno Valle, XHTVM returned to the air in early 2006, now under its current moniker: Proyecto 40 (Project 40). The station would continue to carry its slate of news and entertainment programming, but without interference from the large media companies.

However, in late November 2007, Mr. Moreno Valle's lawyers demanded TV Azteca for the ilegal broadcasts of Channel 40,(Proyecto 40) claiming that TV Azteca can not use such station becauseMr. Moreno Valle is still the rightful owner of Channel 40. It is TV Azteca who is controlling the station financially. Moreno Valle is the owner of Televisora del Valle de Mexico,or (Valley of Mexico's Network in English). To date, TV Azteca has not been able to win the legal dispute despite that TV Azteca has maintained control of Channel 40 for 2 years and that Mr. Hernan Cabalceta Vara, the man who released Channel 40 for TV Azteca in 2006 was summoned for trial. CNI Channel 40 was the first TV station in Mexico City ever to be on strike, and was later absorbed almost entirely by its rival, TV Azteca.

TV Azteca's current relationship with XHTVM

TV Azteca is using XHTVM because in July 1998, Javier Moreno Valle, owner of the TV station, signed a deal with Ricardo Salinas Pliego, owner of TV Azteca that would allow him to control half of Channel 40. In doing so, "Azteca 40" began its transmissions in 1998. CNI would only use the other half of the station with its own productions, such as "CNI Noticias" which was conducted by journalist Ciro Gomez Leyva and Dennis Maerker. CNI Noticias was the most important program of CNI, although it had other TV productions. However, TV Azteca used the channel filling it up with left over TV Azteca programs. Mr. Moreno Valle believed that TV Azteca cheated, and in the year 2000, Mr. Moreno Valle announced oficially dead the CNI TV Azteca alliance, getting back XHTVM's CNI programming. However, after the strike that killed CNI, TV Azteca tried again to use the TV station, this time with the aid of the then Federal Government of Vicente Fox and money from TV Azteca that supposedly ended the strike that started May 19 2005.

TV Azteca says that because of the deal they made with Moreno Valle in 1998, they can operate Channel 40 with their own programming, despite that XHTVM is still being debated in courts. The deal ends in July 2008, and so it will end the alliance between TV Azteca and XHTVM.

External links

* [http://www.proyecto40.com.mx Proyecto 40]