Argentina's top host is channel hopping … again

Artear-Canal 13 locks up Tinelli with four-year pact

By CHARLES NEWBERY

BUENOS AIRES -- It's musical chairs for Argentina's most influential TV host-impresario, Marcelo Tinelli, who joined Canal 9 in January after 15 years with dominant broadcaster Telefe.

He has shocked his new bosses by jumping ship after just nine months to go to rival Artear-Canal 13, which has, wisely, locked him into a four-year deal.

Tinelli led Canal 9's ratings surge, which toppled Artear-Canal 13 from the No. 2 slot for the first time in 13 years.

Starting next year, Tinelli's shingle Ideas del Sur will supply 13-18 hours a week of content, including venerable variety program "ShowMatch," to Artear-Canal 13, owned by Argentina's biggest media conglom, Grupo Clarin.

Artear-Canal 13 expects this to broaden its audience beyond wealthier viewers as Ideas' programs are popular with the middle and lower classes.

In exchange, Artear agreed to acquire 30% of Ideas for $5 million, injecting capital to help the production company pay off debt.

Ideas will team up with Pol-ka, the Artear-backed shingle of its programming director, Adrian Suar, in a joint venture to export their programs and formats and import formats to remake in Buenos Aires.

Tinelli says this would expand his programs' reach, generating more revenue, given that weak ad coin has kept domestic programming prices low since the country's 2001-02 economic crisis.

New venture will compete with Telefe. A unit of Spain's Telefonica, Telefe already handles foreign sales of Ideas and Pol-ka shows including comedy "Los Roldan" (The Roldans) and Robin Hood-like telenovela "Padre Coraje" (Brave Father John).

Tinelli's exit is a blow for Canal 9, which must decide how to maintain its ratings after Tinelli leaves next year.

It has upped Daniela Gonzalez to replace programming manager Alejandro Stoessel, who left with Tinelli, and hired former TV host Carlos Monti as an adviser.

Its estimated $42 million debt, however, is limiting its acquisition and production budget and discouraging some producers from selling to it.

Tinelli's move to Artear has unleashed a flurry of net shifts as producers ankle Artear on concern that his arrival will cut available programming hours.

Diego Guebel and Mario Pergolini's Cuatro Cabezas has signed with Telefe, taking with it "Caiga quien caiga," (Stop Making Sense) a weekly news roundup that attracts top ad coin thanks to its audience of wealthier 21-35-year-olds, emergency room docu "E24" and investigative journalism show "La liga" (The League).

Cris Morena Group, producer of hot teen fictions "Floricienta" and "Rebelde way" (Rebel's Way), is expected to join Telefe, taking a new version of 1990s orphanage-set telenovela "Chiquititas" and a comedy.