TV Pública Fueguina
A provincial public over-the-air television station based in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
TV Pública Fueguina, also known as Televisión Pública TDF and historically as LU 87 TV Canal 11 de Ushuaia, is a public television station serving Tierra del Fuego Province in southern Argentina. The station broadcasts from Ushuaia, the provincial capital, and is operated by the provincial government. Its identity has evolved from a locally based analogue channel into a province-wide public broadcaster with digital terrestrial and satellite distribution. The station began regular broadcasting on October 23, 1967, when it operated as Canal 11 de Ushuaia. Its initial schedule lasted approximately four hours per day and consisted largely of prerecorded programs transported from Buenos Aires by air. Local production began the following year with El noticiero, presented by Tito Aloras and Felipe Ivandic. The channel later developed additional locally produced formats, including the program Minuto 91, and gradually became an important institutional and cultural outlet for the remote southern territory. During the 1970s, the station expanded the range of its programming. Youth-oriented shows such as Will Jizz and Buenas Tardes Música were among the programs associated with the period. In 1972, the channel produced a continuous telethon to support local firefighters, combining fundraising with live interviews of members of the public who came to the station to donate. In 1974, an agreement with Italy's RAI allowed the station to broadcast Italian-produced programs for a year. Local productions also received national recognition: Cristal won the Saint Clare of Assisi Award in 1976, while the children's program Los Batocletti received a Martín Fierro Award. The broadcaster introduced color transmission in 1978, initially enabling it to carry coverage of the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Its news service was known at different times as El noticiero and Notionce before ultimately becoming TVP Noticias in 2017. The news operation remains central to the channel's public-service role, with weekday editions scheduled at midday and in the evening. Current programming also includes general-interest, motorsport, sports and cooking formats such as En agenda, ADN extremo, TVP Deportes and La cocina con Luis. The station's distribution network developed over several decades. Federal regulators authorized a relay facility for Tolhuin in 1984 on VHF channel 9, although the facility was used to relay Canal 13 from Río Grande and was not inaugurated until 1994. A further relay authorization for Gable Island was issued in the same year. In 2011, the national broadcasting regulator assigned the station digital UHF channel 29. By January 2018, its signal was available through digital terrestrial television in Río Grande and Tolhuin on channel 27.1. From June 2018, the station used its own uplink facilities to distribute high-definition programming through the ARSAT-1 satellite, extending its reach across the province and providing national coverage. TV Pública Fueguina also participates in regional public broadcasting cooperation. In August 2016, it joined other Patagonian public stations in creating the Red Patagónica de la Televisión Pública, intended to facilitate a shared regional news program covering political, economic, sporting, cultural and tourism matters. The station contributes to the network's Resumen Patagónico de Noticias, a weekly compilation that began airing on September 17, 2016. The broadcaster faced a temporary operational interruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, suspending operations for two weeks from April 6, 2020, after infections were reported among staff. On June 23, 2023, it ended analogue transmissions as part of the shutdown of analogue signals in southern Argentina under the country's digital switchover framework. Its continued digital and satellite distribution preserves its role as a provincial public broadcaster, while its programming remains focused on local news, community information, regional identity and public-service coverage.
History
TV Pública Fueguina originated as LU 87 TV Canal 11 de Ushuaia, whose regular broadcasts began on October 23, 1967. At launch, the station transmitted roughly four hours of programming each day. Much of that early schedule was prerecorded material sent from Buenos Aires by aircraft, reflecting the logistical challenges of operating a television service in Argentina's far south. The station's public role was formalized on May 13, 1968, when National Executive Decree 2527 granted the territorial government authorization to operate on channel 11 in Ushuaia. The channel began developing a local production capability in 1968. Its first locally produced program was El noticiero, presented by Tito Aloras and Felipe Ivandic. A further early format, Minuto 91, was presented by Sr. de Amuchástegui. These productions established the station's long-term emphasis on locally relevant information and community-facing broadcasting. During the 1970s, its schedule expanded to include youth programming, including Will Jizz and Buenas Tardes Música. In 1972, the station produced an uninterrupted telethon supporting local firefighters; members of the public who arrived to donate were interviewed on air, linking the channel directly with civic fundraising. The station also supplemented local production with international programming. An agreement with Italy's RAI in 1974 enabled it to broadcast Italian-produced programs for one year. Local productions achieved national recognition in 1976. Cristal, presented by Irma Sardi, received the Saint Clare of Assisi Award, while the children's program Los Batocletti won a Martín Fierro Award in the children's category. By 1978, the news program Notionce was being presented by Walter Agüero and Jorge Alberto Molinolo. The station began color broadcasts that year, allowing it to carry coverage of the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Expansion beyond Ushuaia took place through relay infrastructure and later digital distribution. On October 2, 1984, the Comité Federal de Radiodifusión authorized the territorial government to install a relay station in Tolhuin on VHF channel 9. Although the facility was ultimately used to relay Canal 13 from Río Grande, it was inaugurated in 1994. On February 8, 1994, another authorization allowed the provincial government's subsecretariat to establish a relay station on Gable Island using VHF channel 4. These arrangements helped extend television access across the province's geographically dispersed communities. The channel's relationship with national commercial programming changed in 2012, when it stopped carrying programming from El Trece because of outstanding debts with the network. The change created an opportunity to emphasize local programming more strongly. A regulatory milestone followed on June 24, 2011, when AFSCA Resolution 689 assigned the station digital UHF channel 29. In January 2018, the signal became available through digital terrestrial television in Río Grande and Tolhuin on channel 27.1. Beginning in June 2018, the station used its own uplink facilities to distribute high-definition programming through the ARSAT-1 satellite, giving the service coverage throughout the province and national availability. The station's news identity changed over time. The original El noticiero name was later used again after the 1970s-era Notionce branding, before the operation became TVP Noticias in 2017. The current news service has weekday editions at noon and in the evening. In parallel, the channel participated in regional cooperation. In August 2016, it joined other Patagonian public stations in the Red Patagónica de la Televisión Pública. The network enabled a shared regional news program, Resumen Patagónico de Noticias, which began airing on September 17, 2016 and brings together news from participating stations. The station's present programming includes TVP Noticias, the general-interest program En agenda, the motorsport show ADN extremo, TVP Deportes and the cooking program La cocina con Luis. Its public-service orientation is also reflected in its coverage of provincial affairs, sports, culture and tourism. During the COVID-19 pandemic, operations were suspended for two weeks beginning April 6, 2020, after infections affected members of the staff. On June 23, 2023, the station discontinued analogue broadcasting as part of the shutdown of analogue signals in southern Argentina under the country's digital transition policy. TV Pública Fueguina consequently continued as a digital and satellite-distributed provincial public television service, with Ushuaia as its base and Tierra del Fuego as its primary audience.
- 2023
Analogue transmission ends
[1]Analogue broadcasts cease on June 23 as part of Argentina's southern digital switchover.
- 2020
Temporary pandemic shutdown
[1]Operations are suspended for two weeks from April 6 after COVID-19 infections affect station staff.
- 2018
Digital terrestrial and satellite expansion
[1]The signal becomes available in Río Grande and Tolhuin through digital terrestrial television, and the station begins high-definition ARSAT-1 distribution using its own uplink facilities.
- 2017
News service renamed TVP Noticias
[1]The station's news operation adopts the TVP Noticias name.
- 2016
Red Patagónica de la Televisión Pública established
[1]TV Pública Fueguina joins other Patagonian public stations in a regional cooperation network.
- 2012
Shift toward local programming
[1]The station ends its carriage of El Trece programming after a debt-related dispute, creating room for greater emphasis on local output.
- 2011
Digital channel assignment
[1]AFSCA Resolution 689 assigns the station digital UHF channel 29.
- 1994
Relay facilities inaugurated
[1]The Tolhuin relay is inaugurated, and a separate authorization covers a relay station on Gable Island.
- 1984
Tolhuin relay authorized
[1]Resolution 782 authorizes a relay installation in Tolhuin on VHF channel 9.
- 1978
Color broadcasting begins
[1]The station begins color transmission, including coverage of the 1978 FIFA World Cup.
Products and positioning
A provincial public-service broadcaster focused on local news, civic information, regional culture and programming for audiences across Tierra del Fuego.
Television news · 2017
TVP Noticias
The station's principal news operation, with weekday editions at approximately noon and 8 p.m. It developed from earlier news brands including El noticiero and Notionce and focuses on current affairs relevant to Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego.
General-interest television
En agenda
A general-interest program within the station's local schedule. It contributes to the channel's public-service role by providing a format for discussion and coverage of subjects of local and provincial relevance.
Motorsport television
ADN extremo
A motorsport-focused program reflecting the station's coverage of regional sporting activity and its effort to include specialized local-interest content in the provincial schedule.
Sports television
TVP Deportes
The station's sports program, covering sporting subjects as part of its broader local news and public-information offering.
Cooking television
La cocina con Luis
A cooking and lifestyle format included among the station's locally oriented programs, adding non-news community programming to the schedule.
Regional news television · 2016
Resumen Patagónico de Noticias
A weekly regional news compilation produced through the Red Patagónica de la Televisión Pública. It combines material from participating Patagonian public stations and covers political, economic, sporting, cultural and tourism topics.
Brand decisions
2023
End analogue broadcastingOtherBackground
Argentina's digital switchover policy called for the shutdown of analogue signals in the country's southern region.
Action taken
The station ceased analogue broadcasts on June 23, 2023.
Aftermath
TV Pública Fueguina continued its service through digital and satellite distribution.
2018
Expand digital and satellite distributionStrategyBackground
The station had received a digital channel assignment and sought broader coverage across Tierra del Fuego.
Action taken
It made its signal available through digital terrestrial television in Río Grande and Tolhuin and began high-definition ARSAT-1 distribution using its own uplink facilities.
Aftermath
The service reached the whole province in high definition and became available with national coverage.
2016
Join the Red Patagónica de la Televisión PúblicaStrategyBackground
Patagonian public broadcasters sought to cooperate on regional information and programming.
Action taken
TV Pública Fueguina joined the network and participated in its shared regional news output.
Aftermath
The station gained a role in the weekly Resumen Patagónico de Noticias and broader regional public-media collaboration.
2012
Increase emphasis on local programmingStrategyBackground
The station stopped carrying programming from El Trece after a debt-related dispute with the network.
Action taken
The schedule was repositioned toward a stronger local-production focus.
Aftermath
The change enabled the broadcaster to concentrate more heavily on locally relevant content.
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