Radio Rochela is a Venezuelan late-night television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 sketch comedy

Sketch comedy

A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...

 and variety show

Variety show

A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...

 created by Argentine producer Tito Martinez Del Box. The show premiered on Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV

RCTV

Radio Caracas Televisión Internacional is a Venezuelan cable television network headquartered in the Caracas neighborhood of Quinta Crespo. It was sometimes referred to as the Canal de Bárcenas. Owned by Empresas 1BC, RCTV Internacional was inaugurated as Radio Caracas Televisión on 15 November...

), a terrestrial television network

Terrestrial television

Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...

 on Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

 on 1959 to 2010, under the original title of La Cruzada del Buen Humor.

The show's sketches parodied contemporary Venezuelan culture

Culture of Venezuela

The Venezuelan people have a rich cultural heritage. From the original American Indians to the Spanish and Africans who arrived after the Spanish conquest, the twentieth century waves of immigration brought many Italians, Portuguese, Arabs, Germans, Moroccan Jews, and others from the bordering...

 and Politics

Government of Venezuela

|Venezuela is a federal presidential republic governed by a constitution. There are five branches of government: Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Citizen, and Electoral....

. .
Each week, the show features a host who is currently an RCTV telenovela actor or actress who is pranked and performs in sketches with the cast.
Throughout its five decades on air, Radio Rochela has been recognized as ‘’the most important comedy show on Venezuela’’ .Radio Rochela was mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records as the comedy television show in history longest, being air uninterrupted for 5 decades...Current cast members include Juan Ernesto López, Cayito Aponte, Elisa Parejo, Juan Carlos Barry, Félix Granados, Napoleon Rivero, Alexander Noguera, Norah Suárez, Carlos Rodríguez, Coco Sánchez, Hilda Fuenmayor, Ivette Dominguez, Roy Díaz, Karen Leiba, Gladiuska Acosta, Héctor Vargas, Joseline Rodriguez, Marinés Hernández and Alexxey Córdova.

History

In the year 1959, a group of students at the Central University of Venezuela

Central University of Venezuela

The Central University of Venezuela is a premier public University of Venezuela located in Caracas...

 decided to begin a series of comedy acts at the architecture school. These students included Cayito Aponte, Charles Barry, Juan Ernesto Lopez (Pepeto), and Beto Parra, to name a few. The Argentine producer Tito Martinez Del Box, saw one of their presentations and liked it so much that he invited these students to participate in the El Show de las Doce

El Show de las Doce

El Show de las Doce was a Venezuelan variety show that was seen on Radio Caracas Televisión between the years 1954 and 1964. It was created and hosted by Víctor Saume.-History:...

, hosted by Victor Saume. La Gran Cruzada del Buen Humor thus became one of the most popular segments on this midday show.

Finally in 1960, La Gran Cruzada del Buen Humor was separated from El Show de las Doce and was renamed Radio Rochela. The show went on the air at 8pm on RCTV.

On May 27, 2007, RCTV went off the air after the government of Hugo Chávez

Hugo Chávez

Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...

 refused to renew its broadcast license (Chávez had announced that his government would not renew RCTV's license on December 28, 2006). On June 4, 2007, a week after RCTV's shut down, there was a Radio Rochela special that aired on Globovisión

Globovisión

Globovisión is a 24-hour television news network in Venezuela. It broadcasts over-the-air in Caracas, Aragua, Carabobo and Zulia on UHF channel 33. Globovisión is seen in the rest of Venezuela on cable or satellite and worldwide from their website...

 during Aló Ciudadano

Aló Ciudadano

Aló Ciudadano is a Venezuelan talk show hosted by Leopoldo Castillo. It airs both on the Globovisión 24-hour television news network and the Circuito Nacional Belfort radio network.- Format :...

.

On July 16, 2007, RCTV resumed broadcast on cable and satellite.

Cast

Many popular Venezuelan comedians have worked on Radio Rochela. All members have the ability to characterize any famous people (politicians, artists, etc.) Because the program constantly parodies programs, celebrities and politicians. Entire cast:

• Cayito Aponte (1959–2010)
• Henry Rodríguez
• Américo Navarro( 1961–1985)
• Jorge Tuero†
• Virgilio Galindo ("Ruyío") †
• Betty Hass
• Irma Palmieri
• Nelly Pujols
• Kiko Mendive †
• Nelson Paredes ("Cara de Piedra")
• Honorio Torrealba † (1977–1988)
• Romelia Agüero
• Haydeé Tosta
• Manolo Malpica "Semillita"
• Carla Luzbel
• Emilio Lovera (1982–2005)
• Juan Ernesto López (Pepeto) (1959–2010)
• Umberto Buonocuore †
• Charles Barry †
• Laureano Márquez
• Elisa Parejo (1959–2010)
• Gilberto Varela
• Norah Suárez (1989–2010)
• César "Nené" Quintana
• Milton Izquierdo
• Pedro ("el Gato") Soto †
• Gladiuska Acosta (La Coconaza).
• Beto Parra
• Victor Hernández
• Juan Carlos Barry
• Ariel Fedullo
• Martha Olivo "Malula"
• Ivette Domínguez
• Gioconda Pérez
• Jackeline Márquez
• Martha Piñango †
• Jorge Citino
• Nancy Soto
• Joselo (1960–1964)
• Toco Gómez
• Roy Díaz
• Maribel Zambrano
• Fina Rojas

Controversies

Over the years, Radio Rochela has caused controversy for regularly featuring men dressed as women

Transvestism

Transvestism is the practice of cross-dressing, which is wearing clothing traditionally associated with the opposite sex. Transvestite refers to a person who cross-dresses; however, the word often has additional connotations. -History:Although the word transvestism was coined as late as the 1910s,...

 and homosexual

Homosexuality

Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...

s in several of their sketches including Miss Chocozuela, a parody of Miss Venezuela, and Gaywatch, a parody of Baywatch

Baywatch

Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...