TV Bandeirantes Minas

TV Bandeirantes Minas, commonly branded as Band Minas, is a Brazilian broadcast television station headquartered in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais. It operates on channel 7 and serves as a regional outlet of Rede Bandeirantes, one of Brazil's national television networks. Its terrestrial coverage extends across much of Minas Gerais, while the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba areas are served by the related Band Triângulo station in Uberaba. The station began broadcasting on March 2, 1967, under the name TV Vila Rica. Its original concession was associated with Banco Real, with entrepreneur Simonsen holding part of the shares. At launch, the station was affiliated with TV Excelsior and operated as part of that network's broader national expansion ambitions. TV Excelsior was removed from the air on September 30, 1970, after financial difficulties and strained relations with Brazil's military government. Following the network's disappearance, TV Vila Rica began carrying programming from TV Bandeirantes. The relationship with Bandeirantes became formal and permanent during the creation and expansion of Rede Bandeirantes. On December 7, 1975, the São Paulo station acquired TV Vila Rica. The station adopted the TV Bandeirantes Minas name in 1976, making its regional identity explicitly part of the Bandeirantes network. Its role has since combined national network programming with locally produced content intended for viewers in Minas Gerais. Band Minas's Belo Horizonte facilities are located in the São Bento neighborhood in the southern part of the city. Its transmission antenna is situated at Serra do Curral, in the Belvedere area. The station produces approximately 16 hours of local programming per week, alongside the broader Rede Bandeirantes schedule. The local output gives the network a Minas Gerais-focused presence while the national feed supplies general entertainment, news, sports, and other network programming. The station's geographic role changed in 2008 when Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação created Band Triângulo in Uberaba. Before that development, Band Minas programming reached the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba regions through the Belo Horizonte operation. Band Triângulo subsequently took over transmitters serving those areas, allowing the group to organize its Minas Gerais coverage through separate regional operations. Band Minas also participated in Brazil's national transition from analog to digital television. In accordance with the federal switch-off schedule coordinated by the relevant authorities, its analog channel 7 VHF transmission ended at 11:59 p.m. on November 22, 2017. The final analog broadcast was interrupted during a Cine Band film presentation, after which viewers saw an informational slide concerning the digital transition. The station's continuing identity is tied to its role as Rede Bandeirantes' Belo Horizonte and broader Minas Gerais affiliate and owned regional outlet.

TV Bandeirantes Minas traces its history to TV Vila Rica, which began broadcasting in Belo Horizonte on March 2, 1967, using channel 7 VHF. The station was established under a concession associated with Banco Real, with Simonsen holding a shareholding interest. It initially affiliated with TV Excelsior, a network seeking to build a national television presence. TV Excelsior was taken off the air on September 30, 1970, after a period marked by financial problems and conflict with Brazil's military government. With the network no longer operating, TV Vila Rica moved to programming supplied by TV Bandeirantes. This relationship developed into ownership during the formation and expansion of Rede Bandeirantes. On December 7, 1975, the São Paulo Bandeirantes operation acquired TV Vila Rica, and the station was renamed TV Bandeirantes Minas in 1976. Under the Band Minas identity, the Belo Horizonte station became an important component of Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação's presence in Minas Gerais. It carried Rede Bandeirantes programming while producing a local schedule for viewers in the state. The station's studios are in São Bento, in the southern area of Belo Horizonte, and its transmission facilities are associated with Serra do Curral in Belvedere. The operation produces approximately 16 hours of locally originated programming each week. For much of its history, Band Minas also served viewers in the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba. In 2008, the group established Band Triângulo in Uberaba. That station took over the transmitters that had previously extended Band Minas's signal into those areas, creating a more geographically differentiated structure for the group's television operations in Minas Gerais. The station's analog era ended as part of Brazil's nationwide conversion to digital television. On November 22, 2017, Band Minas discontinued its analog channel 7 VHF signal at 11:59 p.m., following the official transition timetable. The termination occurred during the Cine Band film block and was followed by an official information slide about the analog switch-off. Band Minas remains identified with Rede Bandeirantes and with regional television service centered on Belo Horizonte and Minas Gerais.

• 2017

  Analog transmission ends

  [1]Band Minasen.wikipedia.org

  Band Minas ended its analog channel 7 VHF transmission in Belo Horizonte on November 22 as part of Brazil's digital television transition.

• 2008

  Band Triângulo is created

  [1]Band Minasen.wikipedia.org

  The group established a separate Uberaba-based station for the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba, taking over transmitters previously associated with Band Minas.

• 1976

  Renamed TV Bandeirantes Minas

  [1]Band Minasen.wikipedia.org

  The station adopted the TV Bandeirantes Minas name, aligning its identity with the national Bandeirantes network.

• 1975

  Acquisition by Bandeirantes

  [1]Band Minasen.wikipedia.org

  On December 7, the São Paulo Bandeirantes station acquired TV Vila Rica during the development of Rede Bandeirantes.

• 1970

  TV Excelsior leaves the air

  [1]Band Minasen.wikipedia.org

  TV Excelsior ceased broadcasting on September 30 after financial difficulties and tensions with the military government. TV Vila Rica subsequently carried TV Bandeirantes programming.

• 1967

  TV Vila Rica begins broadcasting

  [1]Band Minasen.wikipedia.org

  The station opened in Belo Horizonte on March 2 as TV Vila Rica, operating on channel 7 VHF and initially affiliated with TV Excelsior.

A regional free-to-air television station combining locally produced Minas Gerais programming with the national schedule of Rede Bandeirantes.

• Television broadcasting · 1967

  Band Minas television service

  The station's core offering is free-to-air television broadcasting from Belo Horizonte to viewers across much of Minas Gerais. It combines Rede Bandeirantes network content with regional output produced for the state. The Belo Horizonte operation historically also extended coverage into the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba before those areas were assigned to the separately operated Band Triângulo service.

• Regional television programming

  Local programming

  Band Minas produces approximately 16 hours of local television programming per week. The local schedule provides Minas Gerais-specific content within the wider Rede Bandeirantes lineup, supporting the station's role as a regional broadcaster rather than merely a relay of the national network feed.

• Network television programming · 1970

  Rede Bandeirantes programming

  As a Bandeirantes-owned regional station, Band Minas carries programming supplied by Rede Bandeirantes. The network schedule complements the locally produced service and connects Minas Gerais viewers with the broader Brazilian Bandeirantes television operation.

• 2017

  Transition from analog to digital televisionOther

  Background

  Brazil's federal television transition plan required stations in Belo Horizonte to discontinue analog transmissions according to an official timetable.

  Action taken

  Band Minas shut down its analog channel 7 VHF signal at 11:59 p.m. on November 22 and continued its service through digital broadcasting.

  Aftermath

  The analog signal was replaced by an informational slide explaining the digital switch-off.

  Source

• 2008

  Separate regional operation for western Minas GeraisStrategy

  Background

  Band Minas had previously provided programming to the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba through its Belo Horizonte-based operation.

  Action taken

  Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação created Band Triângulo in Uberaba and transferred the relevant transmitters to that operation.

  Aftermath

  The group established separate television operations for Belo Horizonte-centered coverage and the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba regions.

  Source

• 1975

  Acquisition of TV Vila RicaM&A

  Background

  Bandeirantes was developing a national network and already supplied programming to TV Vila Rica after TV Excelsior ceased operations.

  Action taken

  The São Paulo Bandeirantes station acquired TV Vila Rica on December 7, bringing the Belo Horizonte operation into the Bandeirantes group.

  Aftermath

  The station was renamed TV Bandeirantes Minas in 1976 and became a regional component of Rede Bandeirantes.

  Source

• 2017

  Band Minas completes analog television switch-off[1]Band Minasen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation · Other

  The station ended its analog transmission on channel 7 VHF in Belo Horizonte at 11:59 p.m. on November 22, following Brazil's federally coordinated migration to digital television.

• 2008

  Band Triângulo assumes coverage of the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba[1]Band Minasen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação created Band Triângulo in Uberaba, shifting coverage of the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba away from the Belo Horizonte-based Band Minas operation.

1. 1Band Minasen.wikipedia.org
2. 2TV Bandeirantes Minas official websitebandtv.band.uol.com.br