Chronology 1982-1990
Chronology 1982- 1990
1982
September 29. The Executive Council of the Catalan government approved the Bill whose purpose was to found the public Catalan Broadcasting Corporation (Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals, CCMA), then Corporació Catalana de Ràdio i Televisió, and regional radio and television broadcasting services. The passage of the Bill through parliament was marked by cross-party consensus. The final Founding Act was passed in Parliament’s Plenary Assembly on May 18, 1983 and the Act was published in the Official Gazette (DOGC) on June 14, 1983.
1983
The first stone of Televisió de Catalunya’s studios in Sant Joan Despí was laid and premises were acquired at Diagonal, 614 in Barcelona to house the studios of Catalunya Ràdio.
Pere Cuxart, appointed Director General of CCMA, and Alfons Quintà confirmed as director of the Third Channel, which had already started functioning.
The Catalan Government awards the contracts for the design and construction management for the Third Channel’s headquarters to the Cast company. Jaume Ferrús joins the project. TV3’s first facilities were set up in Numància Street in Barcelona. This was where the first steps were made to produce and direct programs.
June 20. Catalunya Ràdio starts broadcasting.
July 26. Broadcast of Catalunya Ràdio’s first news bulletin: the death of Charlie Rivel. Start of hourly news bulletins and news programs.
Start of hourly news bulletins and news programs.
Catalunya Ràdio’s first sports transmission, coinciding with the Joan Gamper Championship.
Constitution of the first CCMA Board of Management.
Tibidabo broadcast center starts transmitting the TV3 test card from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
September 11. TV3’s first trial broadcast. The first program, coordinated by Lluís M. Güell, was presented by Àngels Moll and Joan Pera. Jordi Pujol, President of the Catalan government, read a message stressing the importance of the new communication media as a tool for restoring the Catalan language to its rightful place in public life.
October. Catalunya Ràdio begins regular broadcasts.
Constitution of Televisió de Catalunya, SA (TVC), subsidiary of CCMA, whose responsibilities are detailed in the CCMA Statute.
TVC signs a contract with the Barcelona Football Club for the exclusive retransmission of the club’s matches, especially football and basketball games. A similar contract is signed with RCD Espanyol.
December 26. Congress approves the Law Regulating the Third Channel.
1984
January 16. TV3 starts regular broadcasts.
Catalunya Ràdio is the first station in Europe to report the death of Soviet leader Iuri Andropov.
Catalunya Ràdio reaches 80% of the territory and 90% of the population.
April 2. The radio station RAC 105 starts broadcasting.
1985
TV3 reaches Andorra, Northern Catalunya and Valencia.
1986
Catalunya Ràdio opens regional branch offices and TVC inaugurates new headquarters in Sant Joan Despí.
Founding of FORTA (Organization of Regional Radio and Television Broadcasters), with TV3, the Basque Euskal Telebista and Galician TGV-TV as its first members.
1987
May 10. Catalunya Música starts broadcasting.
Start of TV3 broadcasts in stereo-Dual broadcast system.
1988
Broadcasting starts for the Vall d’Aran with the program “Meddia Aranés”.
september 10. Broadcasting starts for the Vall d’Aran with the program “Meddia Aranés”.
Satellite transmissions from K-2 in the Himalaya.
1989
TV3 opens branch offices in Tarragona, Girona and Lleida and creates County News, local news programs from the TVC News Department. Catalunya Ràdio starts disconnections with its regional offices in Girona, Lleida and Tarragona.
First TVC broadcast of a film with the story related for the vision-impaired, and start of stereo broadcasts.
Catalunya Ràdio is audience leader in Catalonia for the first time.
The group of regional radio and television broadcasters (a total of eight networks) create FORTA (Federation of Radio and Television Organizations).
1990
Inauguration of TV3’s teletext service: Teleservice.
First broadcast of a feature film subtitled for the hearing-impaired.
First broadcast of Regional News in Aranese.
RDS data transmission system used for the first time by Catalunya Ràdio.
Chronology 1991-1995
1991
Catalunya Ràdio sends a large number of special correspondents to cover the Gulf War.
February 11. Founding of Club Super3.
1992
July 24. The Olympic Channel, a joint network of TVC and TVE, starts broadcasting on Canal 33’s frequency, providing coverage of the Barcelona Olympic Games.
September 11. Catalunya Informació, the 24-hour news radio station, starts broadcasting.
December 19. First edition of TV3 Telethon—La Marató de TV3—devoted to leukemia.
1993
TV3’s first broadcast in Dolby Surround.
Adoption of Windows by CCMA and its subsidiary companies to replace DOS and other operating systems.
1994
Catalunya Informació uses the digital audio system for the first time in Spain.
First broadcasts in Pal Plus, the system backed by the European Union.
Start of a computing system migration from a host-based environment to an open one.
1995
Jordi Vilajoana is appointed Director General of CCMA as successor to Joan Granados.
Founding of Principal d’Edicions, SA, CCMA’s music publishing company.
Transmission of football match number 1,000 presented in Catalan by Joaquim Maria Puyal.
Digital audio system adopted at Catalunya Ràdio.
First TVC and Catalunya Ràdio satellite transmission.
Chronology 1996-2000
1996
Start of Catalunya Ràdio website, www.catradio.cat.
Creation of TV3 Telethon Foundation (Fundació La Marató de TV3).
Inauguration of TVC Online, Televisió de Catalunya’s website.
First broadcasts by RAC 105 and Catalunya Música in DAB.
1997
Start of TVC Sat transmissions to Spain on Via Digital.
Start of TVC Internacional transmissions to Europe via ASTRA free-to-air satellite.
Catalunya Ràdio broadcasts its four channels on a digital platform for the first time and becomes member of the Managing Board of the Digital Radio Forum.
Catalunya Ràdio and TVC join forces in the transmission of the match between the national all-star teams of Catalonia and Bulgaria with images provided by TV3 and Joaquim Maria Puyal as announcer.
Constitution of TVC Multimedia and launch of Meteo and Teletiempo weather channels.
Internet installed at CCMA and subsidiary companies. All users are equipped with E-mail addresses and Web browsers to surf the net, in-house E-mail networks are connected, and a corporate web page offering a range of services is created.
1998
Catalunya Música adopts a digital audio system.
Start of TVC digital terrestrial and multiplex transmissions.
September 11. TVC Internacional starts satellite broadcasts to America.
RAC 105 leaves the Catalunya Ràdio broadcasting group.
First interactivity tests for digital television and launch of interactive services for Sogecable and Via Digital.
1999
Start of CCRTV General Services.
Start of TVC Multimedia.
February 2. Catalunya Cultura starts transmissions.
March 31. End of weather channel, Teletiempo.
Start of DTT trial broadcasts and first transmissions of interactive services: airport information.
2000
First transmissions of interactive services in MHP.
CCRTV Interactiva founded.
TVC Multimedia creates a program for automatic generation of multi-lingual texts.
Chronology 2001-2005
2001
January. CCRTV Interactiva starts functioning.
Antoni Bassas’ morning radio program, “El matí de Catalunya Ràdio”, is broadcast live to a full house at the National Theater of Catalonia (TNC) for the first time. The following year Toni Clapés would do the same with his program “Versió original”.
April 23. Re-structuring of Canal 33: start of K3 broadcasts.
May 7. Re-structuring of Canal 33 completed: Start of channel 33 broadcasts.
First CCMA video streaming broadcast: premiere of the drama series ”El cor de la ciutat” on Internet, the day before its premiere on TVC.
TVC Multimedia launches Automatic TV, a platform for the automatic publication of TV contents, at the Milia Fair in Cannes.
CCRTV General Services’ Corporate Management Board outsources some of its activities to an external company. Activa3® is the new company through which CCMA offers its experience in developing management systems for the audiovisual industry to other companies and TV broadcasters, mainly in Spain and Europe.
CCMA General Services, in collaboration with TVC’s engineering department, starts to design its own digital audiovisual production and archiving system for TVC (DigitionSuite).
2002
Big deployment of correspondents to cover the war in Afghanistan.
Premiere of the game Shin-Chan, the first multi-platform interactive came in Catalan based on TVC characters.
First broadcasts of DTT interactive services, resulting from the joint efforts of TVC, Activa 3, TVC Multimedia and CCRTV Interactiva.
Creation of TVC’s news portal, www.telenoticies.cat, and Catalunya Ràdio’s, www.catalunyainformacio.cat, with a portal for the latest news from the 41 Catalan counties.
TVC’s teletext service is redesigned. TVCText offers a dynamic program guide and the premiere of Chat, a new service aimed at young audiences that allows them to publish SMS messages from their cell phones in real time on the Teletext.
Launch of www.ritmes.net, CCMA’s music contents portal, giving special attention to Catalan music.
TVC Multimedia is the first in Spain to develop interactive DTT applications in MHP.
2003
Dalet Plus, a digital editing system connecting text, audio, agencies and Internet, is adopted at Catalunya Ràdio.
Launch of first sports portal in Catalan: www.elsesports.net.
Live Internet transmission of the arrival of Catalan mountaineer Sergi Mingote on Everest. Real-time images were seen around the world on CCMA’s portal www.elsesports.net.
News portals telenoticies.cat and catalunyainformacio.cat available for cell phones in SMS message or multimedia format.
Launch of Micromarkets pilot project to test and define future DTT interactive applications.
Launch of multi-platform (Internet, TV, mobile phones) game Espai8 on the youth portal www.3xl.net. In just a few months it became a media hit, with 23,000 active players and around 500 messages sent in daily to the forums created to this end.
TVC Multimedia’s Automatic TV adopted in France and Portugal.
In-depth re-structuring of TVC management systems for program production, acquisitions and rights control, and transmission and continuity.
Centralized storage of main systems into a single disc system connected to servers through SAN (Storage Area Network).
Agreements reached with the Film Archive Library of Catalonia and the Parliament of Catalonia to offer services to digitalize audiovisual contents.
September 11. 3/24 starts broadcasting, TVC’s 24-hour news channel.
2004
24th October. TV3’s programme “30 minuts” celebrates its 20th anniversary.
The European Foundation for Quality Management’s excellence model for a management of quality starts being implanted at the CCMA and its subsidiary companies.
Launch of Televisió de Catalunya’s new portal, www.tv3.cat.
Innovative new design of CCMA’s youth portal www.3xl.net, unlike anything else on the web. Its outstanding modular structure gives visitors more interactivity and the chance to manage contents.
TVC is the first network in the country to broadcast via third-generation cell phones in UMTS technology.
Premiere of “3alacarta”, that allows viewers to watch, over the Internet and at any time of the day, live broadcasts of all TVC channels and of many archived broadcasts, through broadband connection (ADSL and cable).
Launch of multi-platform (Internet, TV, cell phones) game “Ja tenim equip” on the Internet portal www.elsesports.net.
2005
February. The CCMA takes part in the first pilot test of DVB-H held in the Spanish state, within the framework of the 3GSM World Congress.
7th May. The Catalan and Balearic governments, together with their respective radio and television corporations, sign an agreement for the reception of IB3 in Catalonia and to maintain and improve the reception of TV3 and Canal 33 in the Balearic Islands.
2nd June. The CCMA and TVC Multimèdia organise the first One-day Conference on Service TV. In it, the future of the public information services on television, and its possible applications within the DTT, are analysed.
1st July. The CCMA starts digitalising the historical archive of Catalunya Ràdio and TVC.
15th July. The CCMA launches the Servei Català del Doblatge (Catalan Dubbing Services), through which TV3 undertakes to dub foreign films to be premiered in commercial cinemas and make them over to distributors for free.
11th September. Activa Multimèdia Digital, the company resulting from the merger of Activa3 and TVC Multimèdia, is presented at the IBC Amsterdam fair, with the idea of becoming the centre of R+D+D of the CCMA and transfer its technological know-how to the sector.
6th October. Activa Multimèdia introduces Sam, the world’s first virtual and automatic weatherperson.
Launch of Canal 300, a new channel exclusively devoted to fiction (series and cinema) for DTT.
Full digitalisation is reached of the newsroom of TVC’s news services.
Catalunya Ràdio and Radio France Internationale agree to work together to create the first FM network of European information radios, a European project that brings together public and private radio stations from Poland, Portugal, Italy and Belgium.
3rd November. Launch of TV3i, Televisió de Catalunya’s universe of interactive services for DTT.
2006
20th January. The CCMA undertakes to conduct a more sustainable business practice by means of an agreement to promote “Corporate Social Responsibility” signed with trade unions UGT and CCOO, and with the Trade Union of Journalists of Catalonia.
3rd February. The Generalitat (Catalan Autonomous Government) and the CCMA reach an agreement to make it possible for Catalans living abroad to see Televisió de Catalunya’s programmes on the Internet, through the 3alacarta portal.
9th February. Ésadir, the CCMA ’s language assessment website, is launched. Its aim is to provide a permanent support in Catalan linguistic issues to other media, universities, translators or schools.
17th February. The CCMA adopts the “.cat” domain for its websites and portals.
23rd March. The CCMA is the first audiovisual group to obtain the European Bronze Seal to quality in business management, a recognition awarded by the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM).
22nd April. First broadcasts of iCat fm, Catalunya Ràdio’s first station designed to be heard on the radio and the Internet, with a la carte access to various channels and musical content.
7th June. The Pope greets TVC in Catalan to congratulate it for the 20 years on the air of the religious programme "Signes del temps".
29th June. The programme "Temps d’aventura" starts offering a new, free of charge service of video downloads on the Internet (podcast).
19th June. TVC presents the first interactive game for the DTT: “De 2 en 2”.
9th October. 5430, the CCMA ’s Service of Attention to the Viewer and the Listener, is launched. It is an new channel within the reach of citizens where any questions, complaints or suggestions about TVC, Catalunya Ràdio or the Fundació La Marató can be made.
27th November. TVC extends its DTT signal coverage to more than 90% of the population, with the launch of 21 new broadcasting centres.
31st November. TV3 broadcasts for the first time a Dolby Digital 5.1 film through the DTT.
2007
18th January. Catalunya Informació launches the broadcast of a news bulletin in Aranese.
5th February. Club Súper 3 reaches one million members (els súpers).
9th February. iCat fm, the radio and internet station, starts broadcasting to mobile phones at a test stage.
14th February. TV3 incorporates audiodescription for the blind at "La gran pel·lícula" in its DTT broadcasts.
23rd April. Launch of Televisió de Catalunya’s high definition broadcasts, at an experimental stage, through DTT.
10th May. Celebration of the 20 years of Catalunya Música.
Celebration of the 10 years of the technological company Activa Multimèdia Digital, with an exhibition at Barcelona’s Palau Robert, “Get activated: Come into the Future Radio and Television”.
11th September. Celebration to mark the 15 years of Catalunya Informació.
3rd October. The Parliament of Catalonia passes the new law of the Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals, which phases out the old name of Corporació Catalana de Ràdio i Televisió (Catalan Broadcasting Corporation).
Former Director Generals
 |
 |
|---|---|
Period |
Director general |
| 1983 – 1984 | Pere Cuxart i Bartolí |
| 1984 | Josep Caminal i Badia |
| 1984 – 1995 | Joan Granados i Duran |
| 1995 – 1999 | Jordi Vilajoana i Rovira |
| 1999 | Lluís Oliva Vázquez de Novoa |
| 2000 – 2002 | Miquel Puig i Raposo |
| 2002 – 2004 | Vicenç Villatoro i Lamolla |
| 2004 – (present) | Joan Majó i Cruzate |
