Branding Gala TV | Affiliations Gala TV | |
Channels Digital: 44 (UHF) (to move to 22)
Virtual: 9 (PSIP) Owner Televisa
(Televimex, S.A. de C.V.) Founded January 25, 1969; 48 years ago (1969-01-25) Call letters' meaning comes from radio station XEQ-AM | ||
XEQ-TDT (channel 44, virtual channel 9) is a Televisa TV station, based in Mexico City. XEQ is the flagship television station of the Gala TV network. The Gala TV network, unlike the other major networks in Mexico, is broadcast by a mix of full-time repeaters as well as local stations, operated by Televisa and its local partners, that also produce and air local programs.
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History
XEQ was founded in 1968, as XHTM-TV channel 8 operated by Televisión Independiente de México (TIM). TIM was headquartered at Estudios San Angel Inn from the time it signed on. In January 1973, TIM merged with Telesistema Mexicano, becoming Televisión Vía Satélite, better known as Televisa. TIM's Mexico City headquarters and production center became Televisa San Angel, which along with Televisa's original Chapultepec facility, is one of the network's two primary Mexico City studios.
In 1985, Imevisión desired to add a VHF station in Mexico City, which became XHIMT-TV channel 7. In order to accomplish this, a complex channel swap was conducted involving XHTM and Televisa's relay stations at Altzomoni in the State of Mexico. XEX-TV, then on channel 7, was moved to 8, and XEQ-TV, then on 9, was moved to channel 10. As part of the move, Televisa moved the XEQ-TV callsign to Mexico City, so the two repeaters on Puebla became XEX-TV and XHTM-TV.
For much of the 1980s, Televisa devoted channel 9 to noncommercial cultural and educational programming. This ended in 1992 with XEQ-TV returning to commercial programming.
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
Analog-to-digital conversion
XEQ-TV and other television stations in Mexico City and Toluca discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over VHF channel 9 (8 in Toluca), on December 17, 2015 at 12:00 a.m., as part of the IFT federally mandated transition from analog to digital television.
In 2016, in order to facilitate the repacking of TV services out of the 600 MHz band (channels 38-51), XEQ was allowed to move from channel 44 to channel 22.
Toluca
A major repeater of XEQ is located in Toluca, Estado de México, broadcasting from Cerro Jocotitlán on digital channel 44 (virtual channel 9, formerly 8) with 200 kW ERP. It is among the most powerful repeaters of its type in the country.
The Toluca station carries certain local programs and is known as Gala TV Estado de México. Local programming in Toluca began in 2002.