History
At a meeting of the RTP Board of Directors in 1962, it was approved, that a meeting should be held with the firm Ramos & Ramos, in order to better clarify its proposal on Television in Madeira." No development about this case is known, but what is known is that was a mere proposal that never went past the government. The same fate befell a project presented by filmmaker António da Cunha Telles (born in Madeira) which envisaged the creation of a company, Radiotelevisão Madeirense, to exploit TV in the archipelago, although in close collaboration and understanding with RTP.[1]
RTP planned the start of a television service in Madeira as early as 1971, but the building of the transmitters was delayed due to adverse climatic conditions. At the end of 1971, it was announced that the service would be set up at the end of the first semester of 1971.[2] The first experimental broadcasts were conducted on June 30, 1972, with regular broadcasts starting on August 6.[3]
The main work was carried out in the 4 locations selected for assembling the transmitter and relays. The main location, at Pico do Silva (Camacha parish), at 1,111 m. altitude, in addition to the building to house the transmitter (2 kW), emergency generating set and other equipment, a 75 m metal tower was erected. At its top, an antenna system connected by coaxial cable to the transmitter allowed radiating 20 kW to be radiated. The 3 original relays, Cabo Girão, Facho (Machico) and Arco da Calheta, relayed the signal received from the main transmitter and the entire transmitter group reached around 60% of the population of the island of Madeira and a significant part of that of Porto Santo.[3]
The initial headquarters were located in the Rua das Maravilhas street in Funchal, in an old building that had just been adapted to function as a residential building. Work started to accommodate the new station (which was to follow in the coming years) to obtain the necessary room for the equipment, of which telecine machines and videotapes were essential parts, given the characteristics of the programming that was going to air; a small studio equipped with a camera (which had been a telecine camera, but which had been ingeniously adapted for its new function); an equally tiny editorial room; and offices for writers, producer-coordinators, maintenance, etc. The possibility of using satellite connections was still distant (this was only achieved in 1982), the remaining resource was to get the programming – the “canned content” – that arrived by air. One-inch magnetic supports and film reels were received in Santa Catarina; they would then travel by car to Funchal; they were then minimally controlled; and, finally, they were put “on air” by studio equipment.[3] Only the live, studio shots of the continuity announcer and the journalist who presented the news service were of local origin, illustrated with images from the news broadcast the day before on the mainland.[4]
In the 1980s, and with the support of the Regional Government, a plan aimed at extending the coverage to the entirety of the islands began, with the inauguration of the following transmitters:
- 1980: Portela and São Jorge, extending reception to the north coast of Madeira;
- 1981: Ribeira Brava and Encumeada relays;
- 1984: Gaula, Fajã da Ovelha, Paul do Mar and Terça de Porto Moniz, which completed the third phase of the coverage plan;
- 1985: Ponta Delgada;
- 1986: Curral das Freiras;
- 1987: Porto Santo, thus achieving coverage of around 100%.[3]
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