Muy buenas noches: Mexico, Television, and the Cold War

Acknowledgments

xvii Acknowledgments this project began at the University of Arizona, in a research seminar on the history of modern Mexico. More than ten years later it is a book. Funding for the research that forms the basis of this book came from various sources, including the Tinker Foundation, American Philosophical Society, and the University of Arizona Center for Latin American Studies. Over the course of the past decade scores of individuals from near and far have helped me along the way, in varied and sometimes unexpected ways. Looking back, I am overwhelmed and humbled by all of the assistance and inspiration I have received, and I recognize fully that I couldn’t have finished this book without the support from all of you. In Mexico, I acknowledge and appreciate the assistance of the archivists, especially those who offered their expertise at the Biblioteca Miguel Alemán, Archivo General de la Nación, Biblioteca xviii Acknowledgments Nacional, and the Archivo Histórico de la unam. I appreciate deeply the opportunity to have been granted access to conduct research in Televisa’s news archives at Chapultepec and Estadio Azteca. In particular, I thank Licenciado Jorge Vidaurreta, Mario Arrieta Gutierrez, and Antonio Ruíz Maquedan. I am also extremely grateful to those individuals who allowed me to interview them, including Miguel Alemán Velasco, Raúl Alvarez Garín, Lolita Ayala, Pablo García Sáinz, Patricia Fournier, Adriana Labardini (who invited me into her beautiful home), Jorge Perezvega, Ana Ignacia Rodriguez, Miguel Sabido, and Jorge Saldaña. I thank my colleagues in academic institutions in Mexico—Manuel Guerrero at the Universidad Iberoamericana and Jorge Martinez at the unam —who lent me their support and invaluable insights. I owe my gratitude to Guillermo Palacios, at El Colegio de Mexico, for his support and for introducing my husband Héctor and me to some of the best margaritas in the world at the San Angel Inn restaurant . My thanks and appreciation go out to the Gudiño family, our Mexico City neighbors who adore Claire and helped us feel at home while I was completing my dissertation research, and beyond. Closer to home, I am eternally grateful for the unwavering support and gifted guidance from my adviser and now colleague at the University of Arizona, Bill Beezley. It’s good to have my former mentor just a football field away, and, as they say, “once an adviser, always an adviser.” I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the other two of the “Three Wise Men” at the ua who’ve been tremendous pillars of support: Bert Barickman and Kevin Gosner. I also am deeply indebted to my mentor, dear friend, and colleague Jacqueline Sharkey, who encouraged me to go back to graduate school and who later as my director provided much-needed guidance to navigate the academic world. My friend and former supervisor, and should-be academic, Héctor González, I thank for his continual interest and encouragement. At the ua School of Journalism, I feel blessed to be able to work with some of the best colleagues in the country, and I thank the Acknowledgments xix faculty, especially Jeannine Relly, for their encouraging words and interest in my work. I thank my dear colleague and editor-supreme Bruce Itule, who read and critiqued an earlier version of the manuscript . Kevin Gosner did the same and offered a historian’s take on the book. Kudos for John De Dios, who helped me prepare the images for the book, and for graduate student Kevin Andrade, who helped me in the manuscript’s final stages. Thanks also go to Tom Gelsinon at the ua Mexican American Studies Department. Over the years, the ua Center for Latin American Studies has become “mi segunda casa,” and I would like to thank in particular Raúl Saba, Scott Whiteford, Colin Deeds, Julieta Gómez González, and professor emeritus Ed Williams, who have been wonderful colleagues and friends. Beyond the ua mall, Roderic Camp provided encouragement and valuable insights about the politics of Mexico. At various stages of this project, I have come to know and receive support from numerous scholars, who’ve been a wonderful source of guidance and inspiration . These esteemed scholars include Robert Alegre, Ann Blum, Elaine Carey, Manuel Chavez, Richard Cole, Leonardo Ferreira, Bill French, James Garza, Sallie Hughes, Andrew Paxman, Otto Santa Ana, Lucila Vargas, and Eric Zolov. A...