PTV Echo

PTV Echo (full name Prywatna Telewizja „Echo”, meaning Private Television "Echo") was a non-public television station based in Wrocław, Poland. It operated from 6 February 1990 to 8 March 1995, making it the first private television station in Poland. The station was founded by four individuals: Andrzej Zygmunt, who had designed and built illegal transmitters for the underground Solidarity movement during martial law; Marek Młynarczyk, an employee of the Institute of Communications; Henryk Pacha, a radio amateur and state television employee who became the first editor-in-chief; and Ireneusz Orzechowski, owner of an electronics parts store chain who equipped and largely financed the venture. The initial transmitter, built by Dariusz Wasilewski, had a power of 20 W (unofficially three times higher). At the end of 1990, PTV Echo received a 200 W Rohde & Schwarz transmitter for test and advertising purposes. Initially, the station's antenna was placed on the roof of the "Arka" student dormitory on Olszewskiego Street, and later, from 7 June 1990, on the roof of the "Poltegor Centre" building on Powstańców Śląskich Street. The station broadcast on channel 28. During the political transformation of 1989/1990, television licenses did not yet exist, and permission for experimental transmission was signed by Andrzej Drawicz, then head of the Radio and Television Committee. PTV Echo offered viewers a model of programming completely different from the public television stereotype, based on live programs and a policy of instant information. The head of the information department was Jacek Ściobłowski, and the station owed much of its success to him, as well as to young editors-in-chief Leszek Turowski and Witold Świętnicki. The station did not have large financial resources, although after just over a year it began to generate relatively substantial profits from advertising (about 4 billion złoty before denomination, i.e., nominally 400,000 PLN today). This made it easy for Italian television producer Nicola Grauso, associated with Silvio Berlusconi, to buy the station and a network of twelve similar stations in Poland. The decision to sell the station to the Italians significantly influenced the landscape of local electronic media in Poland. Leszek Turowski, the station's editor-in-chief, as one of the initiators of the deal with Italian capital, confirms that it was a mistake. The resulting Polonia 1 had a completely different profile, based on soap operas, cartoons, low-budget Italian series, and double-translated films (American films with Italian dubbing were overlaid with a Polish lector). Due to the reduction of local programming, some PTV Echo employees left the station and formed the competing TeDe – Telewizja Dolnośląska. Viewership in 1992 was 33%. In connection with the creation of the National Broadcasting Council in 1993, it became necessary to obtain a license to broadcast. In Wrocław, both PTV Echo and TeDe applied. The licensing process that began in 1994 was ultimately won by TeDe, which resulted in the final ban on PTV Echo's operations and its collapse a year later. After its closure, part of the editorial team moved to the newly created TeDe (Telewizja Dolnośląska), which in June 1995 began broadcasting from "Poltegor" on channel 31; the vacated channel 28 was taken over in August by Canal+ (that transmitter was turned off in 2001). For a short time, PTV Echo was also retransmitted in Lublin from a transmitter at Raabego Street, which was then used by Program 2 of Polish Television. The first broadcast took place in late spring 1990. PTV Echo programs were usually broadcast on weekends before and after the end of TVP2's programming. The first mention of PTV Echo appeared in Gazeta Robotnicza in the issue of 30 January 1990.

PTV Echo was established in 1990 as an almost entirely amateur initiative. It was founded by four individuals previously associated with the Wrocław University of Technology and television: Andrzej Zygmunt, who during martial law in Poland designed and built illegal transmitters for broadcasting underground Solidarity programs; Marek Młynarczyk, employed at the Institute of Communications; Henryk Pacha, an avid radio amateur and state television employee who became the first editor-in-chief; and Ireneusz Orzechowski, owner of a chain of electronics parts stores, who equipped and largely financed the venture. The transmitter they used was built by Dariusz Wasilewski, an employee of the Institute of Communications, then technical director and creator of the initial technical structure; it had a power of 20 W (unofficially three times higher). At the end of 1990, PTV Echo received a 200 W Rohde & Schwarz transmitter for test and advertising purposes. During the political transformation of 1989/1990, television licenses did not yet exist, and permission to launch experimental transmission was signed by Andrzej Drawicz, then head of the Radio and Television Committee. PTV Echo offered viewers a programming model completely different from the public television stereotype, based – also due to equipment shortages – on live programs and a policy of instant information. The head of the information department was Jacek Ściobłowski, and the station owed much of its success to his activities, as well as to young editors-in-chief Leszek Turowski and Witold Świętnicki. The station did not have large financial resources, although after just over a year it began to generate relatively substantial profits from advertising (about 4 billion złoty before denomination, i.e., nominally 400,000 PLN today). Therefore, Italian television producer Nicola Grauso, associated with Silvio Berlusconi, had no difficulty buying the station and a whole network of twelve similar stations in Poland. The decision to sell the station to the Italians significantly influenced the landscape of local electronic media in Poland. Leszek Turowski, the station's editor-in-chief, as one of the initiators of the deal with Italian capital, confirms that it was a mistake. The resulting Polonia 1 had a completely different profile, based on soap operas, cartoons, low-budget Italian series, and double-translated films (American films with Italian dubbing were overlaid with a Polish lector); due to the reduction of local programming, some PTV Echo employees left the station and formed the competing TeDe – Telewizja Dolnośląska. Viewership in 1992 was 33%. In connection with the creation of the National Broadcasting Council in 1993, it became necessary to obtain a license to broadcast. In Wrocław, both PTV Echo and TeDe applied. The licensing process that began in 1994 was ultimately won by TeDe, which resulted in the final ban on PTV Echo's operations and its collapse a year later. After its closure, part of the editorial team moved to the newly created TeDe (Telewizja Dolnośląska), which in June 1995 began broadcasting from "Poltegor" on channel 31; the vacated channel 28 was taken over in August by Canal+ (that transmitter was turned off in 2001). For a short time, PTV Echo was also retransmitted in Lublin from a transmitter at Raabego Street, which was then used by Program 2 of Polish Television. The first broadcast took place in late spring 1990. PTV Echo programs were usually broadcast on weekends before and after the end of TVP2's programming. The first mention of PTV Echo appeared in Gazeta Robotnicza in the issue of 30 January 1990. In 2014, the Office of Electronic Communications announced that by 3 PM on Tuesday, 15 October 2014, one offer had been submitted for the operator of a new local multiplex of digital terrestrial television in Wrocław. It was submitted by Telewizja Dolnośląska Echo, a company registered in April 2014. The same people appear in the KRS documents as in those of Telewizja Dolnośląska. In December 2014, Telewizja Dolnośląska Echo won the competition and became the operator of the so-called local multiplex of digital terrestrial television. The very name of the company that won – Telewizja Dolnośląska Echo Sp. z o.o. – suggests a return to Telewizja Echo (the first private television in Poland) and to Telewizja Dolnośląska TeDe, which continued its traditions until 2013.

• First mention of PTV Echo in Gazeta Robotnicza

• PTV Echo begins broadcasting

• Antenna moved to the roof of Poltegor Centre

• Received a 200 W Rohde & Schwarz transmitter for test and advertising purposes

• Viewership reaches 33%

• National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) established, requiring licenses

• Licensing process begins; ultimately won by TeDe

• PTV Echo ceases broadcasting

• Telewizja Dolnośląska Echo registered

• Telewizja Dolnośląska Echo submits sole bid for Wrocław local DTT multiplex

• Telewizja Dolnośląska Echo wins local multiplex competition

Poland's first private television station, offering an alternative to state television with live programming and instant information.

• Television broadcasting

  Local television programming on channel 28 in Wrocław.

• Live programming

  Programs broadcast live, a novelty at the time.

• Instant information policy

  Fast news and information segments.

1. 1PTV Echo - Wikipedia (Polish)pl.wikipedia.org
2. 2PTV Echo - Wikidatawikidata.org