On May 15, 1956, Channel 3 began broadcasting and became the first private station in Central America, using the
TGBOL calls. Its first studio was located in the 8th. avenue and 9th. Zone 1 street, and its antenna was located in the city center. In 1961 the studio was destroyed after a fire, forcing the channel to be off the air for a few months. Later, it moved its facilities to a location in Las Majadas, zone 11. The channel is considered pioneer of television, as it was the first to make live broadcasts from mobile units and in color broadcasting. It was the fourth country in Latin America to do so, after Mexico,
Cuba and
Puerto Rico. Its signal was available in a handful of districts around
Guatemala City and within the first six months on air, it premiered its first newscast, , whose name was adapted from a Mexican newscast. In 1962, the channel started broadcasting from the Alux range, improving its reception, especially in the capital, allowing it to have national coverage. In 1968, the Canal 3 facility was looted. On February 4, 1976, it suffered material losses from a
7.5 magnitude earthquake. In the 1980s, it incorporated stereo sound, but in 1982 the government of
Efrain Rios Montt gave the order to close the channel for about a month. In 1988, Canal 3 and Televisiete were sold to Remigio Ángel González. In 1990, it began broadcasting 24 hours a day. In 1992, both channels were sold to Miami-based television corporation Albavisión. The station made its first broadcasts in high definition during
the 2006 FIFA World Cup held in Germany experimentally on digital UHF channel 19. In 2015, the
Grupo Chapín TV group was created, along with its sister channels. Canal 3 had a predominantly foreign output. ==Controversies==