The shutdown of TV Tupi
| ♥ | This article is dedicated to Assis Chateaubriand, who died on April 4, 1968, from a persistent disease at the age of 75. |
ATÉ BREVE, TELESPECTADORES AMIGOS
REDE TUPI
(SEE YOU SOON, FRIENDLY VIEWERS
TUPI NETWORK)
~ Rede Tupi's last words, which marked the end of an era.
TV Tupi (also known as Rede Tupi) is a Brazilian commercial terrestrial television network. Its flagship station, located in the city of São Paulo, was the first TV channel in Latin America, being inaugurated on 18 September 1950 by journalist Assis Chateaubriand. It was owned by Diários Associados, one of the largest media conglomerates of the 20th century, and owner of several newspapers, magazines, and radio stations.
On July 18, 1980, Rede Tupi ceased its operations, due to bad management from Diários Associados, wage arrears, and strikes of employees who worked for the channel, with the last strike starting in 1979 and lasting until early February 1980. The strike reached Brasília, the then president of the republic, João Figueiredo, was willing to receive a commission from the leaders of the unions involved.
After the last strike ended in early February 1980, Tupi shutdown their dramaturgy sector causing 250 employees losing their jobs and soap operas like Drácula, Uma História de Amor, Como Salvar Meu Casamento and Maria Nazaré were interrupted or canceled and were not concluded or never aired on Rede Tupi as a result. However Drácula, Uma História de Amor was continued by Band as Um Homem Muito Especial, three days after the shutdown of Rede Tupi on July 21, 1980.
On July 16, 1980, Tupi had seven of their ten concessions declared not renovable by the federal government. The decision was published by official diary in the following day; still, on July 17, the Tupi's employees from Rio de Janeiro started a vigil that lasted 18 hours, commanded by host Jorge Perlingeiro, with the objective to prevent the channel to be closed. Various personalities, like singer Agnaldo Timóteo and humorist Costinha, gave support to the employees.
Just before noon of July 18, three engineers of the National Department of Telecommunications (DENTEL), accompanied by a delegate from Federal Police and four more agents, they went up to the tenth floor of the headquarters of TV Tupi in São Paulo, at Avenida Professor Alfonso Bovero, no. 52, in the Sumaré neighborhood, to seal the transmitters, which was done promptly at 12:36 pm. Minutes earlier, a mass by Pope John Paul II had been held earlier that month at Aterro do Flamengo, simultaneously with the voiceover by actor Cévio Cordeiro, of a message addressed to president Figueiredo asking that the network not be closed. During the aforementioned video and message, employees put the words "See you soon, friendly viewers" on the screen. The last image broadcasted by Rede Tupi was their logo, designed by Cyro Del Nero with the colors of Brazil's national flag with Richard Rodgers' song, Victory at Sea and finally, was taken off the air.
Why It Was An Unfortunate Shutdown
- Rede Tupi was a pioneer and could not have been impeached, it would have only been for it to have innovated and saved itself from debt, if it weren't for the disastrous administration of Diários Associados was doing more harm than good to the channel.
- Many people cried, as they would lose their jobs with the cancellation of the channel's concession.
- It took all the chances of Maria Nazaré being aired and of Como Salvar Seu Casamento and Drácula, Uma História de Amor to have continuity, although the latter aired on Band as Um Homem Muito Especial between 1980 and 1981.
- It made most of its affiliates saved from cassations without a network option and were independent affiliates of the REI phase of SBT/Record and the programs transferred to the channel lose national success such as Programa Silvio Santos and Programa Raul Gil.
- Unfortunately, 50% of the actors and actresses had few opportunities, either on Globo or on other networks, even leaving television, was in the case of Marisa Sanches (mother of Débora Duarte and ex-wife of Lima Duarte, adoptive father of her daughter) who, after making the soap opera "Dinheiro Vivo" in 1979 on Rede Tupi, was left out of TV until unfortunately died in 2002 and Sílvio Rocha who, after making the soap opera "Roda de Fogo" (don't confuse it with a soap opera of the same name on Rede Globo) in Rede Tupi in 1978, abandoned until his death in 1983.
- It caused the network's archives to be forgotten and burned in the Cinemateca fire in 2021.
- The network did not return as many people wished for and considering the last and former military Brazilian president João Figueiredo died on December 24, 1999 and the delicate financial situation of Diários Associados, TV Tupi will unfortunately never return to this very day.
Redeeming Qualities
- From the concessions, SBT and Rede Manchete emerged, even though SBT barely succeeded Tupi and declined in recent years and Manchete was poorly managed and was extinguished, being replaced with Rede TV!.
- All employees had a happy ending with the option to work with SBT and Rede Manchete.
- Most of the remakes of shows and soap operas were good, even some not surpassing the originals and having some bad ones
- In addition, Band and Globo and to an extent SBT, Manchete and Record saved their dramaturgy before and after the extinction, being Cara a Cara, Band's first soap opera on national television.
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