The creation of the SPR was part of the constitutional and legal reform in the field of telecommunications and broadcasting carried out by the Mexican government in 2014. Today, SPR operates 26 television stations in 20 of Mexico’s 32 states. Its flagship television channel is Canal 14, whose programming is focused on televised debates, documentaries, and newscasts. The outlet also runs three radio stations, which are located in Veracruz, Sinaloa, and Chiapas.
According to the Public Broadcasting System law, SPR shares its infrastructure with other public media, helping them to enhance their coverage and airing content from other public broadcasters. Its platform MX PLAY, streams free-of-charge on-demand content from other public media.
Media assets
Television: SPR TV
Radio: SPR Radio
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
SPR is an independent government agency. The President of the Republic appoints the SPR director for a five-year term, with the possibility of being re-elected for another five years. This process is designed to ensure that the appointed SPR director remains in office when a new government takes over and does not change with every new president. According to Article 17 of the Broadcasting Act, the Senate must approve the SPR director with a two-thirds majority in addition to this provision.
Source of funding and budget
In 2023, SPR had a budget of MXN 852.2m (US$ 50.9m), a significant drop from MXN 1.24bn (US$ 61m) in the previous year, according to media reports. In 2024, the government budgeted a subsidy of MXN 656.5m (US$ 39.2m) for the SPR, according to information from the broadcaster. The SPR also generates income from its activities, yet the largest portion of its budget (about 75%) is accounted for by the state subsidy.
Editorial independence
Despite legal provisions guaranteeing SPR’s autonomy and calling for pluralism in editorial coverage, SPR’s editorial line is in sync with the presidential agenda. The SPR’s director, journalist Jenaro Villamil, is a declared supporter of President López Obrador, who nominated him for the position. Villamil is also a journalist critical of President López Obrador’s opponents.
The government exerted its influence on SPR when the former director, Armando Carrillo, resigned in January 2019, before his mandate was scheduled to end in October 2019. According to journalists, he resigned due to political pressures and accusations of alleged corruption.
Since Villamil’s appointment, SPR has aired all of President López Obrador’s morning conferences, during which he promotes his work and often insults his political opponents and attacks newspapers that criticize him. In a 2019 interview with the left-oriented newspaper La Jornada, Villamil admitted that the president intervenes in the broadcaster’s editorial agenda and requests a certain style of content in SPR’s broadcasts. In the lead-up to the June 2024 elections, the SPR was accused of favoring candidates from AMLO’s Morena party.
In October, López Obrador will transfer the presidency to Claudia Sheinbaum, who was elected as the head of the state in June 2024. However, no major changes are expected from her as López Obrador is her mentor.
As per the Public Media Act, the SPR is granted “technical, operational, decision-making, and management autonomy.” Its mission is to “provide non-profit broadcasting services, ensure access to content promoting national integration, educational, cultural and civic education, gender equality, and disseminate unbiased, timely information on national and international developments.” While these legal provisions should ensure the broadcaster’s independence, since López Obrador’s election, SPR’s editorial coverage has shown visible bias in favor of the president.
Like all other broadcasting media, according to Article 259 of the Federal Telecommunications and Broadcasting Act, the SPR has a code of ethics and an Ombudsman who monitors compliance with this code, especially when viewers or listeners complain about SPR’s content. Additionally, the SPR has a Citizen’s Council appointed by the Senate, which makes recommendations to the broadcaster.
July 2024