NBC started donating 2,000 pounds worth of programs to a station in Panama in September 1941 before the invasion of Pearl Harbor; its broadcasts became regular in early 1942. It had a relay on channel 10 in the Atlantic zone. The network adopted the SCN name in 1963. Although the channel was originally restricted to servicemen in the Panama Canal Zone, the signal was clear in Panama City and Colón, where bilingual families started buying television sets. Until March 1989, SCN's main difficulty was over copyright issues with Panamanian television networks (RPC and TVN, later joined by Telemetro). The situation changed when the country was gearing up for the
general election followed by the aftershocks of a
coup attempt. SCN was caught between the Panamanian and American governments, and had a central role in the events in case the bases were invaded. The situation stabilized on January 5, 1990. During the temporary suspension of Panamanian media outlets, SCN was the only television channel authorized to operate until RPC resumed on Christmas Day. SCN ceased operations in two phases, with local origination ending on July 1, 1999 and relays ceasing completely on December 31, 1999, when the Panama Canal returned to Panamanian control. Its equipment was relocated to the United States and
Puerto Rico. In 2001, following failed attempts at creating a regional educational station, the Panamanian government set a date for the fate of the former SCN frequencies, July 10. However, no company successfully bid for those licenses, leading channels 7 and 9 in the capital zone to be given for a bid, Tele 7 (now Oye TV) and
TVMax, both starting in 2005. ==References==