Origins and Development of Telenovelas in Mexico

When television was born in Mexico in the 1950s, both the cinema and the historieta industries were flourishing. It was a decade of political and economical stability, and the progress and modernity promised by the Revolution seemed finally to be coming true for a vast majority. The radio industry was strong and far-reaching, and radionovelas were among its most appreciated programs. It naturally followed that television would experiment with the genre and create telenovelas. The first drama program produced with a serial format was called Ángeles de la calle, and was aired weekly in 1951. The second was Senda prohibida, produced in 1957 by Fernanda Villeli (adapted from its previous radio version). The series aired five times a week.

At the time, television programs were produced either by advertising agencies or by their clients (such as ColgatePalmolive). This accounts for the market-driven orientation of Mexican television, which somehow managed to coexist with the medium's convenient subjection to the Revolutionary ruling party. This phenomenon led to the formation of Televisa, the gigantic communications conglomerate, nearly 20 years later. Televisa, a near monopoly, became the main Mexican telenovela producer, and the most prolific television producer in the world. Thus, Mexican television's (and with it, the telenovelas) content and format have been shaped by three coexisting forces: a conservative nation, a liberalRevolutionary government, and a nearly capitalist economy.

Primitive telenovelas were much shorter than today's, but offered greater variety in content. On the other hand, modern works are produced with greater technological and financial resources. In between, the golden years of telenovelas ( 1982 to 1986) brought (along with notable failures such as Eclipse and La Pasidn de Isabela) great successes, such as Chispita, Gabriely Gabriela, Bodas de odio, La Fiera, El Maleficio, La Traicidn, Vivir un poco, De Pura sangre, Tú o nadie, and Cuna de lobos. Most of these drew audience ratings as high as 70 points, with averages between 40 and 51 points (where 1 point equals 1 percent of the viewing households). After 1986, ratings declined sharply. As of the mid-1990s, average audience ratings for telenovelas were 33 points for the 6:30 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. time slot, 33 points for the 7:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. time slot, and 34 points for the 9:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. time slot.

There have been many reasons for the decline in ratings. First, producers have continuously transgressed collective values. At the same time, the overall breadth of content variety has, paradoxically, decreased. Furthermore, a vicious cycle began when the drop in audience ratings lowered the advertising rate for commercial time during a telenovela broadcast: networks were forced to sell a greater number of these cheaper commercials, thus aggravating viewers and leading to a further drop in audience ratings. During the broadcast of a telenovela in December 1995, for example, a 30-scene-long chapter was interrupted by 50 advertisements. Finally, the drop in ratings may be explained by the greater number of television channels now available in Mexico.