TV Bandeirantes Minas (channel 7, also known as Band Minas) is a Brazilian television station based in Belo Horizonte, capital of the state of Minas Gerais, carrying Rede Bandeirantes for most of the state. It was founded in 1967 as TV Vila Rica, being acquired by Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação in 1975. It covers most of the state, together with its co-sister Band Triângulo, located in Uberaba. Its studios are in the São Bento neighborhood, in the southern region of the capital of Minas Gerais, and its transmission antenna is in Serra do Curral, in Belvedere.
History
TV Vila Rica was opened on March 2, 1967, based on a concession offered to Banco Real, with Simonsen receiving a part of the shares.[1] Initially, it was affiliated with TV Excelsior, operating on channel 7 VHF, being part of the project to create a national network. However, due to several financial problems, in addition to troubled relations with the military government, Excelsior was taken off the air on September 30, 1970. With the network's extinction, TV Vila Rica began broadcasting TV Bandeirantes programming. On December 7, 1975, in the process of forming Rede Bandeirantes, TV Vila Rica was acquired by the São Paulo station, changing its name to TV Bandeirantes Minas in 1976.[2]
The station airs approximately 16 hours of local programming per week. There is also Band Triângulo in the state, the second television station belonging to Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação, which broadcasts the group's programming to Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba. Previously, in 2008, the region received programming from Band Minas, based in Belo Horizonte.