RIC TV Curitiba

RIC TV Curitiba is a Brazilian free-to-air television station based in Curitiba, Paraná. It is the flagship television property of Grupo RIC, a regional communications group associated with the Petrelli family, and operates as a local affiliate of Record. The station serves Curitiba and surrounding municipalities and forms part of a broader network of RIC-branded broadcasters covering Paraná. The station originated with a VHF channel 7 concession granted in January 1985. The concession was initially awarded to the Martinez Organizations, but was transferred to businessman Mário Petrelli in February 1986. Petrelli's acquisition was part of a wider effort to assemble a southern Brazilian communications group alongside radio and television assets in Paraná and neighboring states. TV Independência Curitiba was launched on July 13, 1986, under hurried technical circumstances. The station initially used a temporary 2 kW transmitter installed at the former Telepar telecommunications headquarters in Curitiba while construction of its permanent Pilarzinho facilities was still underway. The temporary location and the lower elevation of the site caused reception difficulties in parts of Curitiba and nearby municipalities, leading the station to advise viewers to adjust their antennas. A major technical and organizational step came on March 13, 1987, when the station began operating with a 10 kW transmitter and completed work on its main facilities. On April 26 of the same year, it joined a network with TV Vanguarda in Cornélio Procópio and TV O Estado in Chapecó, Santa Catarina. This network became an early foundation of the Southern Communication System, which later expanded through additional broadcasters across Paraná. Local production developed later in 1987, including the news program SSC Manchete. The station's network affiliation changed during the national expansion of Record. In February 1995, Rede Record acquired a 30 percent interest in the television stations of the Southern Communication System, including TV Independência Curitiba. The Curitiba station ended its association with Rede Manchete on July 1, 1995, and became connected to Record programming. In 2000, the broadcaster adopted the RIC identity used by the renamed Rede Independência de Comunicação, becoming RIC Curitiba and later being commonly identified as RIC TV Curitiba. Today, RIC TV Curitiba combines Record network programming with locally produced news and regional content. Its role is both that of a local television outlet for the Curitiba market and the principal broadcasting operation within Grupo RIC's Paraná portfolio. The station's public identity is closely connected to regional journalism, local advertising, and distribution of network television programming rather than to a standalone national channel.

RIC TV Curitiba traces its origins to the allocation of VHF channel 7 in Curitiba. On January 31, 1985, President João Figueiredo granted the concession through a public competition won by the Martinez Organizations. The same group also obtained the concession for channel 10 in Cascavel, which later became TV Carimã and is now associated with RPC Cascavel. Because the Martinez Organizations already controlled TV Paraná, the Curitiba concession was sold in February 1986 to businessman Mário Petrelli. Petrelli's acquisition formed part of a wider communications strategy. Together with radio and television assets including Rádio Independência, FM 104, and TV Vanguarda in Cornélio Procópio, the new operation became one of the foundations of the Southern Communication System. The group initially planned to launch the Curitiba station in September 1986 with programming from Rede Manchete. That timetable changed when TV Curitiba, then Manchete's Curitiba outlet, ended its affiliation earlier than expected. The new station therefore had to begin operations rapidly. TV Independência Curitiba went on air on July 13, 1986, the same day TV Curitiba left the Rio de Janeiro-based network. Its first technical arrangement was temporary: a 2 kW transmitter was installed at the top of Telepar's headquarters, known as the Palácio das Telecomunicações, in Curitiba's São Francisco neighborhood. The station's permanent headquarters in Pilarzinho was not yet finished. Because the temporary transmission site had unfavorable terrain relative to the hills used by other Curitiba television stations, reception was weak in parts of the capital and nearby municipalities. The broadcaster published newspaper notices encouraging viewers to have their antennas adjusted. On March 13, 1987, the station began operating with a 10 kW transmitter and completed the work on its permanent facilities. The technical upgrade improved coverage across Greater Curitiba. On April 26, the broadcaster joined a network with TV Vanguarda in Cornélio Procópio and TV O Estado in Chapecó, Santa Catarina. This arrangement is treated as an early milestone in the formation of the Southern Communication System, which subsequently expanded with additional stations across Paraná. The Curitiba operation began producing local programming later that year; one early local news program was SSC Manchete, introduced in November. The next decisive change came during Rede Record's expansion. In February 1995, Record bought a 30 percent interest in the television stations belonging to the Southern Communication System. The transaction included TV Independência Curitiba. Record's signal had already been available in Curitiba and the surrounding region through TV Exclusiva since 1992, but the 1995 investment altered the principal network relationship of the Curitiba station. On July 1, 1995, TV Independência Curitiba ended its affiliation with Rede Manchete after approximately nine years and began carrying Record programming. Manchete continued to be present in Curitiba through the other outlet during the remainder of its existence. In 2000, the broadcaster and the other stations in the group adopted the acronym RIC after the Southern Communication System had become Rede Independência de Comunicação. The Curitiba operation became known as RIC Curitiba and is now commonly identified as RIC TV Curitiba. It serves as Grupo RIC's flagship television station, with studios in the Pilarzinho neighborhood, and operates as a Record affiliate for the metropolitan region. Its business combines network distribution, local journalism, regional programming, and advertising sales. The station's later development is best understood as part of Grupo RIC's statewide broadcasting network rather than as an independent national television brand.

• 2000

  RIC branding adopted

  [1]RIC TV Curitibaen.wikipedia.org

  The broadcaster adopted the RIC identity as part of the rebranding of Rede Independência de Comunicação.

• 1995

  Rede Record takes a minority stake

  [1]RIC TV Curitibaen.wikipedia.org

  Record purchased a 30 percent stake in the television stations of the Southern Communication System.

• 1995

  Network affiliation changes to Record

  [1]RIC TV Curitibaen.wikipedia.org

  The station ended its Manchete affiliation on July 1 and began carrying Record programming.

• 1987

  Permanent transmission operation begins

  [1]RIC TV Curitibaen.wikipedia.org

  A 10 kW transmitter was activated and the station's Pilarzinho facilities were completed, improving reception in Greater Curitiba.

• 1987

  Southern Communication System network formed

  [1]RIC TV Curitibaen.wikipedia.org

  The Curitiba station joined TV Vanguarda in Cornélio Procópio and TV O Estado in Chapecó in an early network configuration.

• 1986

  Concession acquired by Mário Petrelli

  [1]RIC TV Curitibaen.wikipedia.org

  The concession was sold to Mário Petrelli, who incorporated it into the communications operation that developed into the Southern Communication System and later Grupo RIC.

• 1986

  TV Independência Curitiba launches

  [1]RIC TV Curitibaen.wikipedia.org

  The station began broadcasting on July 13 with a temporary 2 kW transmitter from Telepar's headquarters.

• 1985

  Channel 7 concession granted

  [1]RIC TV Curitibaen.wikipedia.org

  The VHF channel 7 concession for Curitiba was granted to the Martinez Organizations through a public competition.

A regional television broadcaster combining Record network content with locally produced journalism and advertising for Curitiba and the surrounding metropolitan market.

• Broadcast television station · 1986

  RIC TV Curitiba

  The station's core offering is a free-to-air television service on Curitiba's channel 7 allocation. It combines Record's network schedule with locally produced news and regional content for Curitiba and its metropolitan area. Its commercial inventory is aimed at local and regional advertisers seeking television reach in Paraná's capital and surrounding municipalities.

• Television programming · 1987

  Local news and regional programming

  RIC TV Curitiba produces or carries regional journalism and other locally relevant programming alongside national network content. Local production became an explicit part of the operation in 1987, when the SSC Manchete news program was introduced. Regional news remains central to the station's value proposition as a Curitiba-focused broadcaster.

• Digital media

  RIC Mais digital content

  RIC TV Curitiba is associated with the RIC Mais digital news and content ecosystem. The supplied station website presents a Curitiba-focused digital destination that complements the broadcaster's television output, although a detailed inventory of digital products is not established in the reference material.

• 2000

  Adoption of RIC brand identityStrategy

  Background

  The communications group had evolved from the Southern Communication System into Rede Independência de Comunicação.

  Action taken

  The Curitiba broadcaster adopted the RIC name used across the group.

  Aftermath

  The station became known as RIC Curitiba and subsequently as RIC TV Curitiba, aligning its identity with Grupo RIC's broader Paraná network.

  Source

• 1995

  Record investment in the station groupM&A

  Background

  Rede Record was expanding nationally and sought a stronger presence in Curitiba and other markets served by the Southern Communication System.

  Action taken

  Record acquired a 30 percent stake in the group's television stations, including TV Independência Curitiba.

  Aftermath

  The Curitiba station ended its Manchete affiliation on July 1, 1995, and became a Record affiliate.

  Rede Record ownership stake. 30% (February 1995)

  Source

• 1987

  Transmission upgrade and network expansionStrategy

  Background

  The station's initial low-power installation produced coverage limitations and its wider communications group was developing a regional television network.

  Action taken

  The station activated a 10 kW transmitter, completed its Pilarzinho facilities, and joined a network with stations in Cornélio Procópio and Chapecó.

  Aftermath

  The upgrade improved Greater Curitiba coverage and helped establish the regional network that became the Southern Communication System.

  Source

• 1986

  Accelerated launch using a temporary transmitterStrategy

  Background

  The planned September launch had to be brought forward after TV Curitiba ended its Manchete affiliation earlier than anticipated.

  Action taken

  TV Independência Curitiba went on air on July 13 using a temporary 2 kW transmitter at Telepar's headquarters while its permanent site was unfinished.

  Aftermath

  The temporary arrangement caused reception problems in parts of Curitiba and neighboring municipalities until the station upgraded its transmitter and facilities in 1987.

  Source

1. 1RIC TV Curitibaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2RIC Mais Curitibaricmais.com.br