Señal Memoria Archivo Audiovisual y Sonoro de RTVC (Colombia)

Overview

Señal Memoria is the audiovisual and sound archive of RTVC Sistema de Medios Públicos (Radio Televisión Nacional de Colombia), Colombia's public media system. Based in Bogotá, Señal Memoria is responsible for the safeguarding, preservation, and promotion of Colombia's public radio and television heritage, holding records produced and broadcast by the Radio Nacional de Colombia since 1940 and by national public television since 1954.

History and Founding

The origins of Señal Memoria trace back to 2005, when the Fonoteca program began the conservation, digitization, and cataloguing of RTVC's sound archive. RTVC itself was created in 2004 with the liquidation of the national radio and television institute Inravisión and the state programming company Audiovisuales. The Señal Memoria project was formally launched on 17 July 2014 at the Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia to mark the 60th anniversary of Colombian television. In October 2015, a dedicated archive building was inaugurated at RTVC to house the growing collection under proper climate-controlled conditions. Señal Memoria became a core institutional mission area of RTVC on 30 August 2015.

Collections and Holdings

Señal Memoria holds more than 600,000 documents organized in four principal thematic collections: Politics and History, History of the Media, Culture and Society, and Colombia and the World. As of 2021, the collection included approximately 140,000 audio supports and 380,000 audiovisual supports. The archive also holds a film collection produced from the 1940s onward and a photographic archive. Among notable holdings is newsreel footage from Colombia al Día (1956–1958), produced by the Presidency's Cinematography Section, as well as recordings from the HJCK radio station and the Radio Nacional de Colombia.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

Señal Memoria holds the definitive institutional archive of Colombia's public radio and television broadcasting, including news programs, documentaries, political speeches, and historic broadcasts documenting Colombia's 20th and 21st century history. It holds records of the private programming companies that broadcast on public television channels until the 1990s. The archive is a primary resource for journalism researchers studying Colombian broadcasting history.

Access and Usage

Señal Memoria provides free public access to its online catalogue at senalmemoria.co. Citizens, researchers, and journalists can browse and request access to digitized materials through the portal. Physical consultation services and educational outreach activities are offered at the RTVC building in Bogotá. Contact for visits and special screening requests is available at senalmemoria@rtvc.gov.co.