Colombian Television in the 1980S: Decentralized nation-building through a unique public-private hybrid TV system

Abstract

This article examines the claims that the unique public-private television system of the 1980s provided space for the development of a national sense of community-based on common narratives and decentralization. The sources for the analysis included a revision of its contemporary discussion in printed media coupled with an analysis of TV shows currently available on streaming services and interviews with relevant figures of the time. The television content shot on location was praised for representing the nation, while simultaneously giving rise to debates about decentralization, which was finally addressed by the creation of regional broadcasters. The hybrid system fostered diversity, production quality, and a national representation that was strongly contested from the regions. At the same time, the system unintendedly hampered the creation of an audiovisual archive, and complaints about its tender systems resonate with the plight of contemporary public service broadcasting in Colombia. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.