Canal 15
A Nicaraguan cable television channel that evolved from the 100% Noticias news program and operated under the Canal 15 name from 2009.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Canal 15 was a Nicaraguan cable television channel based in Managua. It developed from 100% Noticias, a local news program launched in October 1995 on channel 23 by journalist Miguel Mora Barberena and his wife, Verónica Chavez. The project initially functioned as a news program rather than as a standalone national channel, but later expanded into a 24-hour news service carried through the Estesa cable system, which subsequently ceased to operate. In 2009, the service was rebranded as Canal 15. The new name reflected its position as a cable channel while retaining the news-oriented identity and journalistic heritage associated with 100% Noticias. Its programming and operations were linked to Nicaragua's politically sensitive media environment, in which independent broadcasters and news organizations faced increasing pressure, especially during and after the 2018 protests. A decisive turning point occurred on December 21, 2018. The Nicaraguan Institute of Telecommunications and Postal Services revoked Canal 15's operating license and authorities raided the channel's offices. Director Miguel Mora and journalist Lucía Pineda Ubau were arrested and accused of inciting terrorism in connection with coverage and events surrounding the 2018 protests. The authorities confiscated the channel's facilities. According to the cited account, government authorities continued to occupy those premises, preventing the channel from resuming its previous operations. The Canal 15 identity later appeared in a different context on terrestrial television. In November 2019, Canal 6 began using the terrestrial signal with a secondary channel identified as Canal 15, carrying educational and cultural programming. This use did not represent a restoration of the original independent cable operation; rather, it reflected the state-controlled occupation and repurposing of the channel identity and signal environment. Canal 15 is therefore best understood as a defunct Nicaraguan television brand with roots in independent news broadcasting. Its history combines the growth of a local news initiative into a 24-hour cable channel, a 2009 brand transition, and the forced interruption of its operations following regulatory action, an office raid, arrests of senior personnel, and confiscation of its facilities.
History
Canal 15 originated in October 1995 as 100% Noticias, a news program broadcast on Nicaragua's local channel 23. The initiative was founded by journalist Miguel Mora Barberena and his wife, Verónica Chavez. Its initial identity was that of a local news production, but the service subsequently expanded into a 24-hour news channel distributed through the Estesa cable television system. Estesa later ceased to operate, but the channel's development established the foundation for a broader cable-news presence in Nicaragua. The service adopted the Canal 15 name in 2009. The rebranding separated the channel's formal identity from the 100% Noticias program name while preserving its news-centered character. From Managua, the station operated as a cable television outlet focused on journalism and current affairs. Its position as a news broadcaster placed it within Nicaragua's increasingly contested media landscape, particularly as independent outlets faced pressure during periods of political unrest. The most consequential episode in the channel's history came on December 21, 2018. The Nicaraguan Institute of Telecommunications and Postal Services revoked Canal 15's operating license and authorities raided its offices. Director Miguel Mora and journalist Lucía Pineda Ubau were jailed and accused of inciting terrorism in the context of the 2018 Nicaragua protests. The authorities confiscated the channel's facilities, and the cited account states that the government continued to occupy them. These actions ended Canal 15's previous operation as an independent cable broadcaster and made a return to normal broadcasting impossible. The channel name subsequently resurfaced in November 2019 when Canal 6 began occupying the terrestrial signal with a secondary service called Canal 15. That service carried educational and cultural programming rather than representing a continuation of the original news organization. The development illustrates the distinction between the historic Canal 15 operation associated with 100% Noticias and the later state-controlled use of the same channel designation. Canal 15's history consequently has three main phases: the creation of 100% Noticias as a local news program in 1995; its evolution into a 24-hour cable news service and rebranding as Canal 15 in 2009; and the termination of its independent operation after the 2018 license revocation, raid, arrests, and confiscation of its facilities. The later use of the name for educational and cultural programming on a Canal 6 secondary signal did not restore the original broadcaster.
- 2019
Canal 15 name reused by Canal 6 secondary service
[1]Canal 6 began using a terrestrial secondary signal identified as Canal 15 for educational and cultural programming.
- 2018
License revoked and facilities confiscated
[1]Authorities revoked the channel's operating license, raided its offices, detained senior journalists, and confiscated the facilities.
- 2009
Rebrand as Canal 15
[1]The cable news service adopted the Canal 15 name.
- 1995
100% Noticias launches
[1]Miguel Mora Barberena and Verónica Chavez launched 100% Noticias as a news program on local channel 23 in Nicaragua.
Expansion into a 24-hour cable news channel
[1]The 100% Noticias service later became a 24-hour news channel carried on the Estesa cable television system.
Products and positioning
Independent, news-led Nicaraguan cable television, with an emphasis on current affairs and journalism before its license revocation and subsequent loss of facilities.
News program · 1995
100% Noticias
The original news program launched in 1995 on local channel 23. It formed the editorial and operational foundation for the later 24-hour cable news service and remained the principal historical identity associated with the broadcaster.
Cable television channel · 2009
Canal 15 cable news service
The 24-hour cable channel that operated under the Canal 15 name from 2009. It was based in Managua and focused on news and journalistic programming until its license was revoked and facilities were confiscated in 2018.
Educational and cultural television · 2019
Canal 15 secondary terrestrial service
A later service using the Canal 15 designation on a secondary terrestrial signal occupied by Canal 6 from November 2019. It carried educational and cultural programming and was distinct from the former 100% Noticias-based cable broadcaster.
Controversies
2018
License revocation, raid, arrests, and confiscation
On December 21, 2018, Nicaragua's telecommunications regulator revoked Canal 15's operating license and authorities raided its offices. Director Miguel Mora and journalist Lucía Pineda Ubau were jailed and accused of inciting terrorism in connection with the 2018 protests. The channel's facilities were confiscated and, according to the cited account, remained occupied by the government.
Brand decisions
2019
Repurposing of the Canal 15 designationOtherBackground
Following the loss of the original broadcaster's facilities and license, Canal 6 used a secondary terrestrial signal.
Action taken
Canal 6 began carrying educational and cultural programming under a secondary channel identified as Canal 15.
Aftermath
The name continued to appear on television, but the later service was not a restoration of the former independent 100% Noticias-based channel.
2018
Operating license revokedOtherBackground
The action occurred amid the political crisis surrounding the 2018 Nicaragua protests and the government's confrontation with independent media.
Action taken
The Nicaraguan Institute of Telecommunications and Postal Services revoked the Canal 15 operating license, while authorities raided and confiscated the channel's facilities.
Aftermath
The original cable broadcaster ceased operating, its director and a journalist were jailed, and the facilities remained under government occupation according to the cited account.
2009
Rebranding from 100% Noticias to Canal 15StrategyBackground
The news service had developed from a local program into a 24-hour cable channel carried through the Estesa system.
Action taken
The broadcaster adopted Canal 15 as its channel brand while retaining its news-oriented operation.
Aftermath
The Canal 15 identity became associated with the broadcaster's Managua-based cable news service until its operations were forcibly terminated in 2018.
Sources2 sources
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