THE MAKING of MEXICAN TELEVISION NEWS, 1950-1970 By
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Tele-Visiones (Tele-Visions): The Making of Mexican Television News, 1950-1970 Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Gonzalez de Bustamante, Celestine Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 26/09/2021 12:08:10 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/195895 TELE-VISIONES (TELE-VISIONS): THE MAKING OF MEXICAN TELEVISION NEWS, 1950-1970 by Celestine González de Bustamante ______________________ A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2006 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Celestine González de Bustamante entitled Tele-Visiones (Tele-Visions): The Making of Mexican Television News, 1950- 1970 and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy _______________________________________________________________________ Date: April 13, 2006 William H. Beezley _______________________________________________________________________ Date: April 13, 2006 Bert J. Barickman _______________________________________________________________________ Date: April 13, 2006 Jacqueline Sharkey Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. ________________________________________________ Date: April 13, 2006 Dissertation Director: William H. Beezley 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgement of sources is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: Celestine González de Bustamante 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Over the past several years, I have received moral and financial support from an esteemed and diverse group of individuals from across the North American continent for which I am so grateful. In Mexico City, archivists at the Archivo General de la Nación tirelessly combed the cells of the former Lecumberri prison for me. The staff at the Biblioteca Mexicana de la Fundación Miguel Alemán, especially Susanna Gallegos and Patricia Rojas, led me on the right path to the Televisa News Archives. Through the assistance of Licenciado Jorge Viduarretta, I was allowed access to the Televisa News Archives. Mario Arrieta Gutierrez and Antonio Ruíz Maquedam, Filmoteca de Noticieros de Televisa archivists enthusiastically helped me locate valuable newscast scripts. I thank Licenciado Miguel Alemán Velasco, who graciously agreed to an interview and introduced me to other former Televisa executives. Also, I thank Adriana Labardini, who welcomed me into her home and talked with me about her father, Jorge Labardini and his role as a television pioneer. Professor Guillermo Palacios encouraged and listened intently to me, in Mexico and Tucson, at the initial stages of the project, when I still had no clear understanding of where it was going. In the United States, I have benefited greatly from numerous scholars including, Alex Saragoza and Eric Zolov, who shared their work with me, prior to publication. In addition, Roderic Ai Camp introduced me to Miguel Alemán Velasco. A supreme cadre of mentors at the University of Arizona steered me in the right direction and offered unwavering support including my dissertation committee: William H. Beezley, Bert Barickman, and Jacqueline Sharkey. Professors Beezley’s and Sharkey’s valuable insights and advice, personal and academic, helped me tremendously. Additionally, Professors Kevin Gosner, Richard Eaton, Raúl Saba, and Edward Williams provided words of wisdom and inspiration. I am thankful for the financial support I have received from the following organizations: the Tinker Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the Champion Research Fund, U.A. department of history, U.A. department of journalism, and the Aldaco-Dublin Excellence in Television Research Fund. In Tucson, professional and academic colleagues, friends, and family provided a well spring of inspiration. I thank Héctor González, KUAT-TV (PBS) Executive Producer who allowed me to follow my intellectual dreams. The friendship and insights from my colleagues at the journalism department reminded me of why I wanted to finish. Fellow graduate students fostered an intellectually stimulating, yet non-competitive environment in which to learn and work. I cherish the late night talks and laughs with my dear friends, Maritza de la Trinidad and Tracy Goode, who lent me their ears, even when they might have been too tired to listen. At home, Antonia Rodriquez helped me care for one of my greatest joys, my daughter Claire. Additionally, I thank my parents, Samuel and Nina González, who early in my life instilled in me the inner-strength necessary to embark upon and finish a dissertation. Finally, I am eternally indebted to my wonderful husband Héctor Bustamante and our beloved Claire. Their patience and faith in me kept me going, when at times I thought I could not. Thank you, mis vidas! 5 DEDICATION To Héctor and Claire, 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................8 LIST OF TABLES.............................................................................................................10 ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................11 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO TELE-VISIONES (TELE-VISIONS) ....................13 Television and the Larger Picture.............................................................................21 The Rise of Television in Mexico.............................................................................31 Historiography ..........................................................................................................49 Methodology and Theory..........................................................................................52 An Outline of a Dissertation .....................................................................................55 CHAPTER 2: INVENTING TELE-TRADICIONES, 1950-1955......................................61 Constructing Commercial News...............................................................................64 Consolidation ............................................................................................................69 Produciendo las noticias (Producing the News) ......................................................70 Content: Who and What’s on the News....................................................................77 Consuming tele-traditions, Interpretations................................................................92 Conclusion ................................................................................................................93 CHAPTER 3: REBELS AND REVOLUTIONARIES: INCONSISTENT DISSIDENTS, 1956-1959...................................................................96 Forging Unrest on the Railroad: The National Picture .............................................99 Production: Constructing Railway Rebels on the Airwaves...................................101 Cuba’s Revolution on the Airwaves .......................................................................112 The Representation of Dissident Railway Workers................................................128 Interpretations: Peering Back into the Viewers’ Eyes ............................................132 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................135 CHAPTER 4: DOCUMENTED BORDER CROSSINGS AND OTHER PRESIDENTIAL ACTIVITIES, 1959 ............................................................................136 Producing the Presidential ......................................................................................138 Visits and Visions ...................................................................................................142 Tata Lázaro in Havana............................................................................................143 López Mateos and mexicanidad in the United States .............................................149 Ike in Acapulco.......................................................................................................165