Band Rio

With its coverage area in the Rio metropolitan area and a small part of the state's inland region, Band Rio is one of the network's two stations in the state, alongside fellow O&O Band Rio Interior. Its studios are located in the Botafogo neighborhood, while its transmitters are located atop Morro do Sumaré, in Rio Comprido. In 1974, businessman João Jorge Saad, owner of TV Bandeirantes, channel 13 of São Paulo, obtained the license for channel 7 in Rio de Janeiro. Work for a building in Vila Isabel, North Zone, began, but there were delays due to a series of imshaps. The alternative was to buy the studios at Laboratório de Som e Imagem (Somil) in Botafogo, in the South Zone and adapting them for a television station. The need to establish a station in Rio de Janeiro was in line with Band's plans to become a national network, up until then, it was mostly regional. The transmitter atop Morro do Sumaré, the master control, the cameras, videotape machines, telecine and other technical necessities seen as vital for its operation were all imported, and cost over US$ 2 million. The first test signal was broadcast on July 7, 1977.