Televisa held a national competition with four televised qualifying rounds, a playoff, a semi-final, and a final to select its entry for the
18th edition of the
OTI Festival. This eighteenth edition of the National OTI Festival featured forty songs in the qualifying rounds, sixteen in the semi-final, and eight in the final. The top-three entries were awarded. In addition to the general competition, awards were also given for Best Male Performer, and Best Female Performer. The shows were held at
Teatro de la Ciudad in
Mexico City, were presented by
Raúl Velasco, and broadcast on . The musical director was , who conducted the orchestra when required.
Qualifying rounds The four qualifying rounds were held on Saturdays 9, 16, and 23, and 30 September 1989. Each round featured ten entries, of which the three highest-scoring advanced to the semi-final. In each round, after all the competing entries were performed, each of the ten jurors cast one vote for each of their three favorite entries. The ten jurors were: Rafael Acosta, Álvaro Dávila, María Eugenia de Esesarte, Luis G. Basurto, Agustín Jiménez, Leopoldo Meraz, Gustavo Rivera,
Sylvia Tapia, Jesús Vázquez, Rubén Zepeda.
Playoff The playoff was held on Saturday 30 September 1989 following the fourth qualifying round. To select the last four semi-finalists, each of the ten jurors cast one vote for each of their four favorite entries among the twenty-eight not qualified.
Semi-final The semi-final was held on Saturday 7 October 1989. After all the competing entries were performed, each of the ten jurors cast one vote for each of their eight favorite entries, and the eight most voted songs went on to the final. The same jurors that voted in the qualifying rounds, voted in the semi-final.
Final The six-song final was held on Sunday 8 October 1989. The final was held in two rounds. In the first round, each of the ten jurors cast one vote for each of their three favorite entries, and the three most voted songs went on to the superfinal. In the superfinal, each juror announced aloud one vote for their favourite entry. The same jurors that voted in the qualifying rounds and the semi-final, voted in the final. The show featured guest performances by
Daniela Romo, Benito,
Gualberto Castro, and
Ray Conniff. == At the OTI Festival ==