User:Sammi Brie/State network (Mexico)

A Mexican state network is a noncommercial television network owned by a state government and intended primarily to serve the people of that state. State networks historically have been among the most accessible forms of public television in the country, particularly in rural areas.

As of 2020, 26 states maintain state networks which produce and transmit cultural, educational and informational programs. The states without state networks are Baja California, Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas.

History
The first state network to begin operations in any form was TVMÁS, the state network of Veracruz, which signed on January 6, 1980. The first station in the network, XHGV-TV, was the first station in the country owned by a state government. Until this time, only a handful of television stations were public in character: the Canal 13 and Televisión Rural de México networks, the Instituto Politécnico Nacional's Canal Once in Mexico City, and XHUS-TV in Hermosillo, the station of the Universidad de Sonora.

In the 1980s and 1990s, additional states began embarking on the construction of state-run television stations and networks. The Sistema Michoacano de Radio y Televisión in the state of Michoacán was the first to build multiple transmitters in order to reach as many residents of the state as possible. Additionally, Imevisión established regional production centers in cooperation with several state governments in the 1980s, which later formed the basis for state networks such as those of Campeche, Chiapas, Guanajuato and Tlaxcala.

Two states acquired commercial television stations. In 1981, XHST-TV was acquired by the government of Yucatán. Telemax, the state network of Sonora, was created upon the sale of Hermosillo station XEWH-TV to the state government in 1984.

In the 1990s, satellite technology made feasible large expansions of state networks into small towns, usually by way of low-power transmitters. Examples include Telemax, whose 59 transmitters make it the largest by number of individual stations, and TV4 in Guanajuato, with more than two dozen transmitters. Conversely, some state networks only have one transmitter and only reach portions of their state by cable.

The most recent state network to be established was XHPBSA-TDT Coahuila Televisión, which began operations in February 2020.

Programs
The programming produced by the state networks is largely cultural and educational, including local news programming, sports coverage, and discussion programs. Most state networks originate from the capital cities of their respective states, with the notable exceptions of Radio y Televisión de Guerrero, which is based in Acapulco instead of Chilpancingo, and TV4 in Guanajuato with its studios in León.

Sports
Local sports programming is a staple of the state networks in various forms. Most state networks produce state-specific sports shows. Some carry live sports, often lower-tier Mexican soccer teams or LMB baseball clubs.

Program exchange and acquisition
State networks fill their airtime outside of their own productions in several ways. The 27 operating state networks, as well as a variety of other public broadcasters nationwide, are members of a consortium known as RED México (full name La Red de Radiodifusoras y Televisoras Culturales y Educativas de México, A.C.). This organization facilitates the exchange of programs among the state networks; thus, productions such as Con Sabor Jarocho, originating from TVMÁS in Veracruz, are picked up by the Sistema Michoacano and other state networks.

While stations continue to acquire a limited amount of programming from national public broadcasters such as Canal Once and Canal 22, the establishment of the SPR and its transmitter network has compensated for many of the coverage gaps of national television service and led to these services being broadcast directly to far more cities. Content from Deutsche Welle and RT is common on the state networks; these services offer international news and public affairs programming.