Canal 6 de la Corporación de Televisión de la Universidad de Chile

## Canal 6 (Chile)

**Canal 6** (official name: ***Canal 6 de la Corporación de Televisión de la Universidad de Chile***) was a short-lived chilean TV station created by the Universidad de Chile between June 17th and November 18th 1973, since their old Canal 9 (current Chilevisión in channel 11) was taken by its workers adept to the Unidad Popular.

## History

### Before the Inauguration

At the end of 1972, the Superior Council of the University of Chile, represented by Juan Ángel Torti, suggested *"changing almost all the journalists of Channel 9 who were from the left"*, a rather controversial statement considering the context of those times, marked by the Cold War. For this purpose, he called for a call for new workers to integrate the Press Department, a fact that increased the already existing tension between the Board of Directors of the University Television Corporation, and the Union of Workers of the channel. In January 1973, the Comptroller General of the Republic of Chile declared the illegality of said call, as it was not made by the Corporation but by the Superior Council of the University. However, this would not put an end to the problems, since days later, on January 19, the television station would be taken over by workers after a strike began, many of them adherents of Unidad Popular, the government coalition of Salvador Allende, maintaining said occupation until September 8, 1973. Under the direct control of its workers. Under this internal crisis, Channel 9 would continue its regular broadcasts, without the control of the University of Chile or its authorities.

### Inauguration and Development

The channel was officially launched in 16 June, 1973 at 8:05 p.m.
The reason why the channel was named as Channel 6 is because it had a symbolism for the university, since it corresponded to "an inverted 9" according to the words of its directors. The transmitter of this channel was about to a potency of 1,5 kW, which this channel only broadcasted in the east region of Santiago, even though in a possible future the channel would broadcast until Curicó or Talca. The government of the Unidad Popular would ban the Canal 6's launch as illegal. During the early morning of 19 June, the Canal 6's studios (ubicated in Pedro de Valdivia Avenue 2454, Providencia) they were assaulted by the Policía de Investigación and some equipment was seized, but even so the station restarted its transmissions on frequency 6 on July 7. The assault on the headquarters of Canal 6 motivated the opposition deputies to the Unidad Popular to present a constitutional accusation against the Minister of the Interior, Gerardo Espinoza Carrillo, which was approved by the Senate on July 19, 1973, being removed from office. Part of its own programming was carried out from the 2 studios owned by the Canal 6 headquarters (equipped with 3 television cameras), while the rest was produced in the Protab studios.
On September 8, 1973, a contingent of police entered the studios of Channel 9 on the orders of the mayor of the province of Santiago, Julio Stuardo, and the following day the University of Chile recovered frequency 9 as a result of an agreement between the Universidad Técnica del Estado (UTE), the Corporation and the unions of the channel. The University of Chile would have to choose which channel (and, therefore, which staff) it would stay with (with the 6 or with the 9) and the UTE would be in charge of the other frequency. However, the fall of Salvador Allende frustrated the plans of the UTE to have its own television channel, since the Military Junta of Chile ignored the agreement reached between the universities. However, the fall of Salvador Allende frustrated the plans of the UTE to have its own television channel, since the Military Junta ignored the agreement reached between the universities.

### Closedown and Restart of Canal 9

After the military coup of September 11, 1973, Channel 6 was off the air, and on September 17 the university authorities were able to enter the premises of the unoccupied the Canal 9 to verify damage and see if it was possible to restart its broadcasts through said frequency; That same day the Canal 6 restarted its broadcasts but broadcasting only the official news prepared by Canal 13 and packaged material. The restart of transmissions through frequency 9 took place on November 18.