XEW

"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."

"Despite his playboy image, Emilio was gaining presence within TSM. His charm and energy, his growing powers of persuasion, and his imposing height guaranteed that he would become a skillful salesman. These attributes, and the fact that his father let him venture into different sectors within TSM, allowed him to earn the respect of the young employees and create his own power base. The circle began with Othón Vélez Jr. Over time, Vélez became the company’s chief sales executive, although his beginnings did not portend it. After graduating from Culver in 1949, he set up a used-car business in Mexico City that never turned a profit. Although his father assumed the losses, he refused to use his influence to get his son a job at XEW, thinking that Othón Jr. should continue trying to make his own way. But he did help him obtain a license to sell televisions, representing the American company Capehart. It was not until 1957, the year Vélez retired, that Othón Jr. entered XEW. There he frequently worked shoulder to shoulder with Emilio Jr., and the two friends became an efficient sales team. Emilio contributed his charm and Othón his wit and irreverence; the combination was a success."

"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."

"Azcárraga’s main maneuver was to sell Radio Programas de México. His partner in the network, Clemente Serna Martínez, had been pressuring Azcárraga to define his stake. “Let me buy your share or I’ll sell you mine,” Serna went so far as to tell him. Since Don Emilio was investing most of his radio profits in TSM, and as many performers increasingly had to choose between working for radio or for television (with Azcárraga pressuring them to choose the latter), Serna was concerned about the evident conflict of interest. In 1961, Azcárraga completed the sale of his shares in RPM in favor of Serna and kept only a few stations, among them his beloved XEW and XEQ. As part of the deal, Serna ceded his stake in TSM’s stations in the provinces. Azcárraga owned shares in broadcasters outside RPM, and he sold most of these to his nephew Rogerio Azcárraga, who grouped these and others into the Organización Radio Fórmula."