Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta

In thisSpanish name,the first or paternalsurnameisAzcárragaand the second or maternal family name isVidaurreta.

Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta(2 March 1895,Tampico, Tamaulipas– 23 September 1972,Houston) was a Mexican businessman who built an entertainment conglomerate, Telesistema Mexicano (nowTelevisa).

The son ofBasqueimmigrants Mariano Azcárraga and Emilia Vidaurreta, his primary education was inPiedras Negras, Coahuila,middle school inSan Antonio, Texas,and high school inAustin.

Early career

Aged 17, he was employed at a shoe store while he studied trade and economics by night.

He obtained distribution rights for a shoe manufacturer inBostonand, at age 23, he created the car distribution company,Azcárraga & Copland.

Radio broadcasting industry

In 1923, Azcárraga obtained a license to distribute radios from theVictor Talking Machine Company.Around the same time his brotherRaúl Azcárraga Vidaurretahad created a radio station with Mexico City'snewspaperEl Universal.While working at the "Mexico Music" division ofRCA) he became more interested in the radio broadcasting industry. On 19 March 1930 the radio stationXET-AMwas founded inMonterrey.And on September 18 Azcárraga created theXEW-AMwithMexico Music Corporationas major stockholder. The station was also part of theNBCdivision of RCA.

Television industry

Azcárraga Vidaurreta establishedEstudios Churubuscoin the 1940s and created the first TV station in Mexico, Channel 2, in 1951. He became the first president of Telesistemas Mexicanos in 1955. His entertainment conglomerate was composed of 92 different business units by 1969. He died on 23 September 1972, before establishment ofTelevisa, S.A.,a television production company on 1 January 1973.

Family

Emilio married Laura Milmo Hickman.

Emilio Azcárraga and Laura Milmo had three children, includingEmilio.In 1899Patricio Milmo and Sonswas established as a bank to invest in such interests as railroads and mines. After theMexican Revolutionthe company focused on safer investments, like the then-recently-developing radio industry.

See also

• Azcárraga family

External links

• (in Spanish)Biographyat theRevista Mexicana de Comunicaciónof theManuel BuendíaFoundation.
• (in Spanish)Biographyat theSalón del Empresario en México( "Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in Mexico" ).
• (in Spanish)Historyof theXEW-AM.