TV Unsa

“Did they really just broadcast a beauty pageant for their first show?” a tourist whispered, peering curiously at the TV Unsa building. Nestled within the Universidad Nacional de San Agustin campus, TV Unsa holds a unique place in television history. You might be surprised to know that this story actually begins back in 1959 with Televisora Sur Peruana, or TSP. This television station was the brainchild of businessman Jack Dwyre. TSP partnered with the university and set up shop right here in the university’s own Culture Pavilion. Their grand debut on August 15th wasn’t exactly academic. They chose to broadcast the Miss Universe pageant, featuring none other than the 1958 winner, Gladys Zender! The university actually secured the bragging rights of being the first South American university to have its own TV station. However, disaster struck in 1960 when an earthquake damaged the Culture Pavilion. TSP had to move to Don Bosco Street. Eventually, in 1968, TSP was sold to Panamericana Televisión, which still operates the channel today. But the university wasn’t done with television. In 1991, under the leadership of Rector Juan Manuel Guillen, the TV Unsa production center was born. And finally, in 1996, TV Unsa took to the airwaves on channel 45. While it went temporarily silent in 1998, it returned strong in 2001 and continues to broadcast today. So, while you might not see a beauty pageant gracing their screen today, TV Unsa has certainly found its niche in providing cultural and informative programming to the people of Arequipa.