In several Latin American countries, acadena nacional (Spanish for 'national network'; pluralcadenas nacionales), also referred to as acadena oficial (Spanish for 'official network') orred voluntaria (Spanish for 'voluntary network'), is a joint broadcast, over various media (usually radio and television), directed at the general population of a state. Initially conceived as a form ofemergency population warning, these broadcasts are often of a political nature, as most of them are messages by governmental authorities about various topics of general interest.
Depending on the country, the characteristics ofcadenas nacionales vary. In some countries, they are enshrined in law; in others, they are informal and cooperative. In some countries, including Argentina and Venezuela, all stations are mandated to air these messages (similar in nature toEmergency Action Notifications in the United States).
The use ofcadenas nacionales in Argentina is regulated by Article 75 of theLaw 26,522 of Audiovisual Communications Services [es], signed into law in 2008. This article specifies that the executive branch of the national government or of provincial governments may, in exceptional circumstances, use all of the broadcast stations in a state. When such a message is delivered, all Argentine television stations must cease all programming to allow for the broadcasting of the message.[1] Article 74 of the same law requires broadcasters to make airtime available to political parties according to the electoral law.
Article 75 of Law 26,522 superseded the Decree-Law 22,285 of 1980, the National Broadcasting Law, which similarly required broadcasters to carrycadenas nacionales as defined by COMFER, the predecessor to today's ENACOM.[2]
A new law, effective as of August 8, 2011, requires television and radio broadcasters to transmit two presidential speeches a year, produced by the state mediaRadio Illimani andBolivia TV.[3] These speeches have averaged a length of three hours since the law came into effect.
Cadeia nacional orrede nacional de radio e televisão[4] (Portuguese fornational radio and television network) broadcasts in Brazil can be given by thePresident of Brazil, Ministers of theCabinet, and justices of theSupreme Federal Court andSuperior Electoral Court.[5] The measure is regulated by Decree 84,181 of 12 August 1979, issued by PresidentJoão Figueiredo.[6] TheBrazilian Communication Company (EBC) is tasked with handling the taping and live broadcast ofcadeia nacional addresses, which are prepared by theSecretary of Government.Free-to-air television networks are required by law to broadcast these addresses live, thus temporarily interrupting their scheduled programming.[7]
The national broadcasts commonly occur during national holidays,election days, congressional sessions on significant legislation, and theNational High School Exam to address these events. More recently, national broadcasts on theCOVID-19 pandemic have been invoked by PresidentJair Bolsonaro.[8]
SinceChile's return to democracy in 1989, mostcadenas nacionales have been voluntary in nature, but under previous governments such as those ofAugusto Pinochet andSalvador Allende, stations were obliged to carry these messages. They are aired by television stations by the National Television Association (ANATEL), which subcontracts the production toEndemol via state network TVN,[3] and it is not required of radio stations. One type ofcadena nacional is obligatory for all television stations according to the electoral law, thefranja electoral or simultaneous transmission of campaign material from the major political parties; this is the only time election campaign ads are broadcast on television.
The first law permittingcadenas nacionales in Ecuador was passed in 1975 during the regime of Gen.Guillermo Rodríguez Lara.[3] Chapter 59 of Supreme Decree 256-A, the "Radio and Television Law", which was modified in 1995, required the broadcast ofcadenas nacionales. In 2009, PresidentRafael Correa ordered Ecuador's television stations to broadcast 233cadenas nacionales over the course of the year, the highest such figure in the region and 92 more than Venezuela in the same year.[3][9]
The prior law was replaced in 2013. The Organic Communication Law's article 74 replaced it, retaining the requirements for broadcasters and extending them to pay television services, which must suspend their own program transmissions to carrycadenas.[3]
The Telecommunications Law of 1997 requires stations to transmitcadenas, which may be called for by the president "in case of war, invasion of territory, rebellion, sedition, catastrophe, epidemic or other calamity, grave disturbances of the public order or messages of national interest".[3] During election campaigns and particularly on election day, only the Electoral Tribunal can convokecadenas nacionales, which are also obligatory.
The law that definedcadenas was derogated in 2004 after the constitutional court ruled that they were illegal, violated the right of citizens to "inform and be informed", and also kept the public in "informational captivity".[3]
Cadenas nacionales are obligatory for all television and radio stations, and are used to broadcast presidential reports and messages of national interest.[3] They are limited to seven minutes in duration, unless CONATEL, the regulator, decides more time is necessary for the broadcast (which is frequent). In January 2014, the ceremony to mark the start of the new president's term was carried as acadena nacional and ran five hours.[3] The requirement to carrycadenas has been extended to cable and satellite television providers.
Mexico requirescadenas in circumstances of "national significance", as judged by theDirección General de Radio, Televisión y Cinematografía (General Directorate of Radio, Television and Film)—an agency of theSecretariat of the Interior (SEGOB)—and defined in Article 255 of the Federal Broadcasting and Telecommunications Law. Stations are also obligated to broadcast messages related to civil defense, national security, and public health, as well as messages related to ships and aircraft in danger.[10] Mexico also requires that all broadcasters allocate 30 minutes of their broadcast day to programming from the state. Most of this time is used to run official advertising, managed by SEGOB, and (during electoral campaigns) election advertising, managed by theNational Electoral Institute.[3]
Radio stations also carryLa Hora Nacional, an hour-long radio program aired on Sunday nights, as part of this requirement.
Administrative accord 009-2010 regulatescadenas nacionales in Nicaragua.[3] The accord and the telecommunications regulator TELCOR both require the carriage ofcadenas by radio, broadcast television and subscription television services. Foreign television services carried on cable/satellite platforms are forced to cease all broadcasting until thecadena concludes.
While the government ownsCanal 6 andRadio Nicaragua,Canal 4 andRadio YA are responsible for the production ofcadenas.[3]
After the dictatorship ofAlfredo Stroessner (1954–1989), the use ofcadenas nacionales was banned after the system was abused by the military to transmit propaganda.[11] Stations were required to broadcastcadenas produced byRadio Nacional del Paraguay three times a day: the third was the nightly programLa voz del coloradismo, which regularly mocked and insulted journalists and others critical of the Stroessner regime.[12]
There is no specific law oncadenas; the government must buy airtime from the broadcasters, and carriage of such national events is voluntary by law.[3] The most common event for such joint broadcasts is the presidential message delivered on July 28 of each year, though on occasion othercadenas have been called, for events such as natural disasters.
However, asEl País noted in 2012, "the termcadena nacional is familiar only to those who are well over 30", noting that its widest use was in the military regime of the 1970s.[11]
Decree 734/78, passed during the military government and modified from the mid-1980s onward, regulatescadenas nacionales. They are obligatory for all broadcasters, as is the transmission of state-designed "public good" campaigns.[3] Additionally, the national anthem must be aired on select public holidays (April 19, May 18, June 19, July 18 and August 25), with television stations at sign-on, and on radios at noon.
Since the return to democracy in 1985, the president occasionally gives speeches oncadena nacional, such as theJorge Batlle during the2002 Uruguay banking crisis andTabaré Vázquez for thePhilip Morris v. Uruguay dispute.
DuringBroad Front administrations, the president has often given an annual speech oncadena nacional onMarch 1. Also the president has also concededcadena nacional to other institutions, for example thePIT-CNT trade union center on theInternational Workers' Day.
During the administration ofJaime Lusinchi, government broadcasts promoted presidential speeches and military parades and could last several hours.[13]
Approved in 2004, theLaw on Social Responsibility on Radio and Television (Ley RESORTE) requires broadcasters to transmitcadenas nacionales.Cadenas have no time limits and must be carried not only by radio and television broadcasters, but by cable networks with less than 60% international production.[3]
On one occasion, television stations were forced to broadcast a 44-minute-long musical performance contained within acadena nacional.[3]
From 1999 to 2009, Venezuela had an average of 195cadenas a year.[9]
An NGO, Monitoreo Ciudadano, maintains aCadenómetro, a measure of the frequency and duration ofcadenas in Venezuela.[11]
Section 26(2) of Canada'sBroadcasting Act states that theGovernor in Council may direct theCRTC to order licensed broadcasters to carry a particular program in any part of the country, if deemed to be of "urgent importance to Canadians generally". This provision has only been used once, in order to mandate the broadcast of a speech by Prime MinisterJean Chrétien on October 25, 1995 (prior to theQuebec independence referendum) by the licensed television networks. In 2017,Bell Media attempted to request an invocation of the law in order to effectively override a CRTC decision suspending its "simsub" regulations (requiring pay television providers to replace feeds from U.S. terrestrial broadcasters if they carry the same programming as a local terrestrial broadcaster, in order to protect Canadian advertising revenue) for theSuper Bowl.[14][15]
Forcedcadenas nacionales of a political nature have been strongly criticized by some media outlets, as in some cases it requires them to broadcast opinions that differ from their normal editorial stances. The VenezuelanRCTV network refused to air a message fromHugo Chávez in 2007, violating broadcasting laws.[16] In late 2012, acadena was used to force media outlets away from a presidential campaign speech by opposition leaderHenrique Capriles; thecadena in question concerned the opening of a new school.[17] A similar event took place the next year.[18]
Likewise, Honduran media resisted an attempt by the government ofManuel Zelaya to institutecadenas nacionales in that country, noting that "in the past thecadena nacional was constantly used, mainly byde facto governments, without satisfactory results".[19]
In Argentina, the frequent use ofcadenas byCristina Fernández de Kirchner during her presidency has been compared to "abuse" of the system by the opposition. From 2009 to May 2015, there have been 119cadenas nacionales in Argentina, including 17 in the first five months of 2015.[20] Her predecessor,Néstor Kirchner, only used thecadena nacional twice during his four-year term from 2003 to 2007.[21]