Televicentro

"If the rumor spread that he used to travel by subway (which he did only once, when he was in a hurry to go from Televicentro to a lunch in the Zona Rosa and the parking lot gates had been blocked by protesters), it would help his reputation as a magnate who stayed in touch with his audience."

"Definitely, Azcárraga Vidaurreta had the best facilities. In September 1943 he had begun to build a large broadcasting station on Avenida Chapultepec, which was to be called Radiópolis. But in 1947, in a moment of visionary anticipation, Azcárraga halted the work to redefine his strategy. The future, he concluded, was not in radio but on the small screen. Perhaps NBC’s unprecedented success in televising the 1947 World Series inspired this change of mind. In any case, realizing that television would be considerably more expensive, both in equipment and in program production, he began selling his provincial radio stations in order to raise more capital. When he resumed work on Avenida Chapultepec, it was no longer to build Radiópolis, but Televicentro."

"In essence, Azcárraga Vidaurreta was the example of the “good boss”: demanding but with a noble heart. Despite the fear he inspired, even the lowest-ranking employees who had sick relatives, or other personal problems, would wait in the anteroom to be received, and generally the boss would attend to their requests for help. His philanthropy went beyond the bounds of the company; he often wrote checks for charitable works, and one of his greatest contributions was being the principal benefactor of several hospitals that are still operating today. But Don Emilio’s reserved nature did not allow people, and in particular the press, to see that side of him. What did show in him was the respect he felt for his audience. He often showed up outside XEW or Televicentro, where lines formed of ordinary people who wanted to enter the studios to watch a program, and he would ask them for their comments and suggestions."

"For those who saw them up close there was no doubt that Azcárraga Vidaurreta loved his son and had big plans for him. But the old man’s rough, demanding nature annoyed Emilio. The father’s severity led him to develop a growing ambition, the desire to succeed independently and leave his own mark. But it also alienated this temperamental young man and caused him to keep on carousing. The beautiful actresses and singers who paraded through the doors of XEW and Televicentro provided him with a good pastime. There was reciprocity: by the mid-1950s, Emilio had filled out and was extremely attractive, so the combination of looks, charm, and power made him irresistible to many of the young stars."