Spanish International Broadcasting Company (SIBC), with a 20% investment from Mexican mogul Emilio Azcárraga, on Sept. 29, 1962, launched a UHF television station devoted to the largely Mexican population of Southern California.
Until then, no other station was serving this audience. And, for its first few years, it was a money-loser that required a converter to receive the channel, given UHF’s nascent state at the time.
Today, that investment is being celebrated as TelevisaUnivision’s West Coast flagship TV station prepares to celebrate its 60th birthday in grand style.
The station still bears its original call letters, KMEX-TV, and today Channel 34 is one of the company’s biggest and most successful media properties.
As such, the Univision Los Angeles team, and viewers, will be celebrating its anniversary in the heart of Los Angeles with the community that has been loyal to them for six decades.
“KMEX’s foundation to serve our community, to advocate for them and give them a voice in a time where it was needed most has been the backbone of what has driven us since we first went on air in 1962,” said Alejandra Santamaria, Interim General Manager for Univision Local Media. “We are celebrating 60 years as a broadcast institution and would not have it any other way than to celebrate this milestone with our community in the heart of Los Angeles.”
To celebrate their six decades of serving the community, KMEX will host a festival on Sunday (9/25) at El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Angeles, better known as Placita Olvera, in Downtown Los Angeles from Noon-7pm. Performers include social media mariachi sensation Los Gemelos de Sinaloa, 19-piece band Banda Fortuna, and local musical and dance performers.
On KMEX, four 30-minute historical specials focused on the station’s impact will be shown and made available on the ViX platform, too.
In 1962, many television sets only offered Channels 2-13 on the analog VHF band. In early 1963, the number of households with UHF access was just 106,000. But, the number doubled by early 1965. What did not grow so fast were KMEX profits, but by the end of 1965 they came.
Later, KMEX would become the No. 2 station (along with KWEX-TV in San Antonio) to join Spanish International Network (SIN). It is the predecessor to Univision.
