Grupo Diários Associados

Grupo Diários Associados began with the acquisition in 1924 of the Rio de Janeiro daily newspaper O Jornal by Assis Chateaubriand, then at age 32. In the following year, the enterpreneur expanded the group with the acquisition of yet another newspaper, Diário da Noite, in São Paulo. From there on the company’s history is tied to that of his founder, becoming the largest media conglomerate in Latin America.

In their heyday, Diários Associados had over 100 communication vehicles among newspapers, magazines, radio stations, TV channels and news agencies. Chateaubriand was responsible for the creation of the magazine O Cruzeiro in 1928, which revolutionized the press with the insertion of photographs and illustrations and the adoption of a lighter formatting, overcoming the so called “tijolões” (bricks) that made up most of the newspapers at the time, with massive text blocks.

Chateaubriandwas also responsible for the arrival of television in Brazil, inaugurating TV Tupi in 1950. That happened right after the appearance of the media in the United States, at a moment when Brazil still lived its pre-industrial phase. Chateaubriand himself imported 200 TV sets and installed them in São Paulo, so that there were viewers for Brazil’s first TV broadcast.

The enterpreneur Assis Chateaubriand has always been a polemic figure, and has been called “Chatô, King of Brazil” and “Brazilian Citizen Kane”, considering the way he used his communication companies to bargain political support and strengthen his position. He is also accused of blackmailing companies that didn’t advertise in his vehicles, threatening them with the publication of unfavorable content.

Currently, Diários Associados has businesses in the TV, radio, internet portals, newspapers and magazines segments, besides companies that provide support to the group’s operations. The companies are controlled by the shareholding group Condomínio Acionário das Emissoras e Diários Associados, created by Chateaubriand in 1969. The magnate chose a group of 22 people, mostly employees he identified as having ideological loyalty and personal merit, with who he began sharing his companies management.

In 2015, Grupo Hapvida, tied to the health sector, acquired the control of seven companies owned by Grupo Diários Associados, all in the Northeast region. In order to control them, they created the Sistema Opinião de Comunicação.