Early history
The roots of TV Globo can be traced to the beginning of the 20th century. What eventually became the Globo empire began in 1925 with the creation of the newspaper O Globo in Rio de Janeiro. In 1944, Rádio Globo went on the air and has become a school of radio broadcast news. It was the first radio network in Brazil to follow a 24-hour all news format. It had 26 wholly owned and affiliated stations.[12]
In 1957, Brazilian President Juscelino Kubitschek approved a request by Rádio Globo to establish a television channel.[13]
TV Globo began broadcasting on 26 April 1965 in Rio de Janeiro on channel 4.[14] That same day, at about 10:45 a.m., Rubens Amaral formally introduced Rede Globo to viewers in Rio de Janeiro, and all over Guanabara State, with the song "Moon River" by Henry Mancini at the start of the children's show, Uni Duni Tê, an adaptation of Romper Room.[15] It was the beginning of the Globo television network and vital component in the growth and expansion of the Globo organizations.
By May of that same year, the live telecast of the Holy Mass, which later became its longest running and oldest program, was seen for the first time. The following year, Globo purchased another television station, São Paulo-based TV Paulista and transforming it into the TV Globo São Paulo,[16] expanding its operations and beginning to dominate national television ratings. In January 1966, Globo broadcast its first major news coverage on flooding in Rio de Janeiro.[17]
Jornal da Globo, another trademark show for the network, was the successor to Tele Globo (1965–66), the network's first news program that ran until 1966. It featured a broadcast time of 30 minutes and was hosted by Hilton Gomez and, later, Luis Jatoba. In 1967, Globo began to build its national network with the affiliation of Porto Alegre-based TV Gaúcha (now RBS TV). It is one of Globo's oldest affiliates, active since 1962, three years before Globo was launched.[18] Uberlândia's TV Triângulo (now Rede Integração) and Goiânia's TV Anhanguera (now Rede Anhanguera) soon followed in 1967[19] and 1968. The now extinct TV Guajará (now Boas Novas Belém), based in Belém, was launched in 1967, and was followed by TV Verdes Mares later in 1970.[20] 1968 was also the year in which Globo's owned and operated station in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, TV Globo Minas, was launched.[21]
On 1 September 1969, the country and national television broadcasting changed with the premiere of Jornal Nacional (National News), the nation's first live newscast anchored by Cid Moreira and Hilton Gomes. Its theme music, "The Fuzz" by Frank DeVol, became one of the show's trademarks, together with the program logo and the "Boa Noite" ("Good night") closing established by the hosts.
TV Globo broadcast its first FIFA World Cup in 1970, the same year in which the Rede Excelsior network closed down, absorbed by Globo. The network's famous Plim-Plim interval sound also debuted that year.[22]
Jornal Nacional's success was followed by the launch of Jornal Hoje (Today's News) on April 21st, 1971, the same day in which its Brasília station (TV Globo Brasília, Channel 10) was inaugurated.[23] TV Globo Nordeste (Channel 13 in Recife, Pernambuco) would launch the next year.
Brazil had its first color television broadcast on February 19th, 1972, when Globo, along with many other TV stations in the country, broadcast the Festa da Uva (Grape Festival) in Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, in the southern region of the country. Globo's coverage was narrated by Cid Moreira. Globo also broadcast the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich that same year, being the first time the network broadcast the Olympics.
In 1973, "Globo Repórter" premiered, and it still airs today. That same year, the Sunday program "Fantástico" went on the air, which also remains on the air.
On June 4th, 1976, the station was hit by a fire that resulted in the loss of the archived footage of many early programs broadcast by the network. Despite the fire, the station only went off the air for a few minutes.
The last black-and-white programs transitioned to color broadcast in 1977. Color broadcasting arrived on the channel in 1976 or 1977.
1980s to 1990s era
1986 was the key year when Xuxa Meneghel's own show, Xou da Xuxa (Xuxa's Show) debuted on Rede Globo. Xuxa, who left the similarly formatted program Clube da Criança on Rede Manchete, joined the network and thus, her show replaced the successful Balão Mágico as a result. It was a hit among children in all the country, airing all week (from Mondays to Saturdays) for seven years until 1992. That year was also the 20th anniversary of Os Trapalhões, which lasted until 1987. The network's other big program was its coverage of the 1986 Copa Ouro, plus the first telecast of the Criança Esperança children's charity show, which Renato Aragão (of Os Trapalhões) hosted. The logo was renovated several times in the years that followed. 1987 saw yet more improved programming debut in all areas. Jô Soares defected the network and moved to SBT.[24]
TV Globo turned 30 on 26 April 1995. The highlights of the year included the opening of the brand new Projac (now Estúdios Globo) studios and the launch of a new youth oriented program: Malhação, plus its Festival 30 Anos (30 Years Festival) commemorative series. It was the year that Os Trapalhões ended a long successful run on the network, and the Plim Plim interval idents were updated by various cartoonists for the anniversary. Globo suffered a year of audience losses but in 1996 audience share began to increase until they were the nation's number one network, aided by brand new programs (among them were the telenovela O Rei do Gado and the very popular sitcom Sai de Baixo) and its coverage of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, coupled with changes in the newsrooms.
