EMILIO AZCARRAGA VIDUARRETA, Sr. Married Laura, children: Emilio, Laura, Carmela. Worked as a representative for RCA Records; began radio station XEW in Mexico City, Mexico, 1930; built Churrubusco Studios, 1940s; creator and owner of Channel 2, 1951; became the first president of Telesistema Mexicano, 1955; involved in 92 different businesses by 1969; established Televisa, a production company for his stations; Televisa, S.A., formed in 1973. Died 1973.

EMILIO AZCARRAGA MILMO. Born August 1930. Educated at Culver Military Academy, graduated 1948. Married four times, most recently to Paula Cusi; children include: Emilio Azcarraga Jean. Worked in various positions in television; owner of Univision, a twelve-station Spanish language network in the U.S., 1960s and 1970s; controlling shareholder of Televisa, S.A., owner of The National sports daily, 1990-91; owner of major Mexican television stations; chairman of Galavision; also involved in publishing, video, and real estate ventures. Address: Televisa, S.A., Avda Chapultepec 28, 06724 Mexico City DF, Mexico. Died 1999.

There are two Emilio Azcarragas, both equally significant in the history of television in Mexico: Emilio Azcarraga Viduaretta, the William Paley of Mexican broadcasting, and his son and heir, Emilio Azcarraga Milmo, the principal owner of the Mexican entertainment conglomerate Televisa. The elder Azcarraga created the first Mexican radio station in 1930, and soon took on a leading role in the development of Latin American broadcasting. He convened meetings of fledgling Latin American broadcasting entrepreneurs where it was decided that the region would follow the U.S. commercial model and not the non-commercial, government supported, public service British model. Azcarraga, already the sole Mexican agent for Victor/RCA Records and a successful theater owner, promoted Mexican artists (who were under exclusive contract to him) through his growing chain of radio stations, which included several along the U.S. Mexican border. In 1950, he created Mexico's first television station and a decade later, the first U.S. Spanish language television stations. The Televisa radio and television networks have, since their inception, been characterized by their close association with the Mexican ruling party, known by its Spanish initials, PRI. Televisa produces conservative, nationalistic entertainment programming and fawning, uncritical news coverage of the Mexican government. Partly as a result of this comfortable relationship, broadcasting in Mexico is virtually unregulated.

This situation has continued through the stewardship of the second Emilio Azcarraga, known in Mexico as El Tigre (the tiger), as much for the white streak in his hair as for his reputedly ferocious manner. Azcarraga has expanded Televisa's monopolistic hold on Mexican broadcasting by buying media properties in other Latin American countries and selling Televisa programming throughout the world. For example, a Televisa telenovela (soap opera) was a huge hit in Moscow in the early l990s. In 1993 Azcarraga acquired controlling interest of PanAmSat, a hemispheric communications satellite, further consolidating Televisa's position as the world's largest producer of Spanish language television programming. In one of the few setbacks suffered by the Televisa owner, in 1986 Azcarraga was forced to sell Televisa's U.S. subsidiary when it was found to be in violation of U.S. laws restricting foreign ownership. Just six years later, Azcarraga bought 25% of the U.S. network, while continuing to provide the majority of its programming. In Mexico, Azcarraga has diversified his holdings to include the largest stadium in the hemisphere, sports teams, publishing and recording companies, and sundry Mexico City real estate. Azcarraga maintained offices and homes in New York and Los Angeles, as well as Mexico City, and was featured on the cover of Fortune's 1994 issue on the world's richest men.

-America Rodriguez