Rio de Janeiro's TV Excelsior, Channel 2 started broadcasting in 1st September 1963. It was Rio's 4th TV station after TV Tupi, Channel 6, TV Rio, Channel 13 and TV Continental, Channel 9.
Rio's TV Excelsior was owned by a group of São Paulo entrepreneurs headed by Mario Wallace Simonsen who also owned airline Panair do Brasil. Simonsen had bought the rights of Channel 2 from Radio Mayrink Veiga that had won a TV concession from the government but never acted on it. Radio Mayrink Veiga had been the most popular radio station in the country up to the end of the 1930s but lost ground to the government's own Radio Nacional that ruled the waves for 20 years.
Mr. Simonsen intended to make TV Excelsior the best TV broadcaster in Brazil and he made that come true in less than 2 years.
Rio's TV Excelsior 1st ever programme 'O Rio é o Show' was beamed on a Sunday commanded by actress Maria Fernanda who introduced acts like Jorge Ben, Booker Pittman & his daughter Eliana, Silvio Cesar, Miltinho, Os Cariocas & others.
Soon, Rio's Canal 2 had a program schedule made up of musicals and comedies all done live at ist auditorium on Avenida Atlantica which were unbeatable and rated high in public viewing like 'My fair show', 'A cidade se diverte', 'Gira o mundo gira' with Chico Anysio, 'Vovô Deville' with Dercy Gonçalves and 'Times Square' on Saturday night with a millionaire cast straight from the burlesque theatre or poached from other TV stations especially TV Rio.
TV Excelsior had the best talent because they paid top money for the likes of comedians Walter D'Avila, Ema D'Avila, Castrinho, Paulo Celestino, show girl Dorinha Duval, actor Daniel Filho, actress Myriam Persia, even Miss Guanabara's candidate Aizita Nascimento & many others.
MC Flavio Cavalcanti had his 'Um instante, Maestro' where he indulged in smashing people's recording discs on stage and DJ Haroldo de Andrade his own auditorium variety show too. Most of the musical & comedy shows produced in Rio were video-taped and air-mailed sent to most capital cities in the country and then broadcast usually at the same time as Rio making TV Excelsior Brazil's first 'network TV'.
The musical-comedy shows on TV Excelsior were so good they were recorded on vynil disc and sold at record shops around the country. 'Times Square' was argueably its best produced by former cinema director Carlos Manga with musical production of João Roberto Kelly.
Miltinho, who was at the top of his career in 1963, sings at TV Excelsior, Channel 2.
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