TVN (Spanish Televisión Nacional de Chile, in English: National Broadcasting of Chile, literally in English: National Television of Chile) is Chile's state-owned television station. Its inaugural transmission took place on 24 October 1969. TVN is owned, but not funded, by the state, and it functions independently from it; a very particular case of public television in South America. A board of directors, appointed by the President of the Republic and later ratified by the Senate, oversees control over the station. The distribution of the members of the board tend to coincide with the political composition of the current Congress.