Dominican Republic
The DOMINICAN REPUBLIC is an island nation in the Caribbean, to the west of Cuba. The western third of the same island is occupied by Haiti.
Profile
| Country Number (N/K) | ||
| Region | Caribbean | |
| Television commenced | 1952 | |
| Colour System | 1969 | NTSC |
| Population | 1966 | 4 million |
| TV Sets | 1968 | 85,000 |
| Language/s | Spanish | Dubbed |
Television Stations / Channels
The Dominican Republic began its television service in 1952.
In 1968, there were two television providers: the Educational station Radio Televisión Dominica, which operated channels 2,4,9, and Rahintel Televisión, which had channels 7 and 11.
In the 1980s, there were seven broadcasters.
Language/s
The official language of the Dominican Republic is Spanish. It is the only Caribbean country that would have broadcast the series in that language.
DOCTOR WHO IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
There is some uncertainty as to whether Doctor Who ever did screen.
BBC Records
The Dominican Republic is not listed in The Making of Doctor Who (1972 Piccolo edition), The Seventies, or The Handbook.
In DWM, the Dominican Republic is identified in 10 story Archives: A, B, C, E, F, K, L, N, Q, R. The year of sale is given as 1966 and 1968. (This information comes from Music Clearance forms – but see below.)
The Eighties - THE LOST CHAPTERS records a sale of "(7)" stories (by 10 February 1987) to Dominica. It is assumed that this is actually Dominican Republic rather than the small island nation of Dominica which did not have a television service before 1987.
However, as covered below, there is some uncertainty as to the accuracy of these records.
Stories bought and broadcast
William Hartnell?
According to BBC Records, the Dominican Republic may have purchased the standard package of twelve stories, 56 episodes that played in other Spanish-language countries in the late 1960s.
A date of "3 December 1968" has been assigned to Dominican Republic for invoice and clearances for all twelve stories, however for the payment due to Actors Equity, this date is crossed through and "Cancelled 27/5/69" has subsequently been written beneath, while the Music Clearance dates have not been crossed out or marked as being Cancelled. However this does not necessarily mean anything, since this is only an advice of a sale rather than receipt exchange of any payments.
Origin / Fate of the Prints?
IF the series did air, the films may have been acquired from Chile in 1970 and then sent to Costa Rica in 1971.
It’s also possible that the films had been delivered before the cancellation. If so, the same Origin and Fate could apply.
Tom Baker?
Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago were sold a package of eleven Tom Baker stories in late 1985 – part of a package offered to nine Caribbean countries (see Caribbean sales for more on this). If the reference in The Eighties does indeed mean Dominican Republic, they could have bought the same or a smaller package of Baker stories (NTSC with Spanish dubs) on offer at the time.
PAUL McGANN
The 1996 TV Movie may have been available via the HBO OLE cable station in 1999.
Transmission
TV listings
We have checked several Dominican Republican newspapers, covering 1967 to 1971, and 1980 to 1988, but have not found any listings for "Dr Misterio" in either period.
One paper, Listin Diario, had comprehensive listings for all five channels (see sample at right).
El Caribe regularly had full daily listings for channels 2,4,9, but only irregular listings for the two Rahintel channels. The three RTD stations had quite detailed listings information. But the Rahintel coverage was often very basic, giving only the type of programme – such "Cartoones Animados", "Programa Vivo" (Live Programme), "Película" (Movie), "Telenovela en Video Tape" (Telemovie on video tape) – rather than actual series titles.
In the 1980s, the papers gave listings for the then seven stations and their channels, but there was no sign of "Dr Misterio" in any of them.
So - if "Dr Misterio" did indeed screen in the Dominican Republic in the late 1960s, it may have done so on one of the Rahintel stations. But even with only irregular listings for that broadcaster, with 56 episodes to account for, if screening weekly or even daily, you would think at least one of the newspaper listings would have a billing...
With the lack of clear listings for any of the 56 episodes in the late 1960s or early 1970s, plus the fact that the BBC sales documentation records that the 1968 sales appear to have been cancelled in 1969, we think it can be taken that the Hartnell series did not air in the Dominican Republic.
If Tom Baker stories did screen in the 1980s, despite our covering a wide range of newspapers and dates, it has completely slipped under our radar...
We have therefore not included this country in the Story Lists or other tables.
