Chavez, what a winner.

Wagner · #1 05-28-2007, 08:16 AM

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryP...+on+TV+station

Venezuela's oldest private television station went off the air just before midnight on Sunday as opponents of President Hugo Chavez banged on pots and pans, protesting his decision to pull the plug on the popular channel harshly critical of the government.

The decision not to renew Radio Caracas Television's broadcast license and replace it with a public service station was celebrated in the streets by "Chavistas," who watched the new channel's first transmission on large TV screens. Others launched fireworks and danced to the classic salsa tune "Todo tiene su final" - "Everything Has Its End."

The mood inside the studios of RCTV - the sole opposition-aligned TV station with nationwide reach - was somber. Disheartened actors and comedians wept and embraced in the final minutes on the air. They bowed their heads in prayer, and a presenter declared: "Long live Venezuela! We will return soon." Then the national anthem was played and the screen turned black. Within seconds, it was replaced with the insignia of TVES, the new state-funded channel assigned to the frequency.

"We are living an injustice," said Eyla Adrian, a 35-year-old presenter, her eyes welling with tears.

Oswaldo Quintana, RCTV's legal representative, told The Associated Press that armed military personnel "took control of our station's transmitters" shortly before midnight to guarantee TVES could broadcast.

Chavez says he is democratizing the airwaves by turning a "coup-plotting" network's signal over for public use. His opponents condemned the shutdown of RCTV as an assault on free speech and a grave blow to democracy.

Founded in 1953, RCTV had broadcast a mix of talk shows, sports, soap operas and the popular comedy program "Radio Rochela," which had poked fun at a presidents - including Chavez - for decades. RCTV was regularly the top channel in viewer ratings, but Chavez accused the channel of "poisoning" Venezuelans with programming that promotes capitalism.

The new channel, TVES, began its transmission with an orchestra playing the national anthem. Actors and producers involved in launching the new station later presented upcoming programming, including cartoons, sports, and an educational program for children emphasizing socialist values.

"We've come here to start a new television with the true face of the people, the face that was hidden, the face that they didn't allow us to show," said Roman Chalbaud, a pro-Chavez filmmaker appointed by the government to TVES' board of directors. Earlier Sunday, police broke up one opposition protests using a water cannon and tear gas, and later clashed with protesters who set afire trash heaps in affluent eastern Caracas. Police said some protesters fired shots, and others threw rocks and bottles. Police said 11 officers were injured.

Chavez's decision "marks a turn toward totalitarianism," said RCTV's top executive, Marcel Granier, while hundreds of protesters chanted "No to the shutdown!" outside the station. "He's losing more than he thinks he's gaining. He's losing international recognition and he's losing the respect of his people." Chavez, who says he is steering Venezuela toward socialism, accuses RCTV of supporting a short-lived 2002 coup, violating broadcast laws and regularly showing programs with excessive violence and sexual content.

RCTV and other privately-owned networks offered scant coverage of Chavez's dramatic return to power amid street protests by his supporters. RCTV's journalists argue that violent demonstrations staged by "Chavistas" outside the station's studios prevented them from covering the news.

Aside from RCTV, the 24-hour Globovision news channel is currently the only other major opposition-sided station, and it is not seen in all parts of the country. Two other channels that were once staunchly anti-Chavez - Venevision and Televen - have recently toned down their criticism.

The National Telecommunications Commission announced last week that it was renewing Venevision's license, prompting an outcry from RCTV's employees who claim the rival channel was being rewarded for curbing its criticism of the government.

Rafael Molina, president of the Miami-based Inter American Press Association, said "the concession of broadcast frequencies should not serve to reward or punish media outlets for their editorial line."

Eric5273 · #2 05-28-2007, 02:42 PM

I suppose there is a fine line between political opposition and treason. If a television station did indeed cooperate with a group trying to overthrow the government, is that treason?

During the coup in 2002, and during the 24 hours of huge protests and violence that followed it, this "news" station played cartoons the whole time.

Can you imagine if CNN or Fox News did the same while an "opposition" group of President Bush invaded the White House and took him hostage?

The difference is that in the United States we have many news channels, so most of us would still hear about such events. In Venezuela, there are only a few channels, and my understanding is that this one was the main news channel.

Still, I disagree with his decision to shut down the channel. What he simply should have done was launched his new channel on another frequency and make sure that there are other news sources available to the people. Then one station would not have so much power.

NINCHS · #3 05-28-2007, 03:23 PM

I still have not bought Venezuelen gas (Citgo is owned by a Venezuelen company), since he came to the US and went off on Bush. Not becuase I support Bush, but because he came into the US and said it. Only we can put don't down our own president.

Eric5273 · #4 05-28-2007, 05:37 PM

This may not be as political as you think. I"ll do a little cut & pasting here:

Historically, RCTV has demonstrated extremely poor business conduct and its frequent legal infringements comprise the most important reasons for the non-renewal decision. An op-ed by Bart Jones of Newsday appearing in the Houston Chronicle asserts that "it's doubtful [RCTV's] actions would last more than a few minutes with the FCC [in the U.S.]." In fact, RCTV has often faced legal sanctions for its poor practices, and indeed has been closed or fined numerous times by various administrations, including President Chavez's most recent predecessors. The television station is also in default for tax payments spanning a three year period. This most recent decision is not an isolated case, but is the first opportunity the government has had to reconsider its licensing since the 20-year contract began.

Most importantly, in 2002, RCTV ran ads encouraging the public to take to the streets and overthrow the democratically elected president. Once Chavez was forcefully removed from office, the station continued to collude with the coup government by conducting a news blackout. In fact, one of the managing producers of Venezuela's highest-rated newscast, the RCTV program El Observador, testified that he was instructed by RCTV's owner, Marcel Granier, on the day of the coup to show "No information on Chávez, his followers, his ministers, and all others that could in any way be related to him."

The Venezuelan government, like most others worldwide, has the constitutional right to make decisions regarding all public broadcasting. In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) makes decisions regarding the licensing of broadcasters. As in Venezuela, that agency has the power to grant broadcasting rights to any outlet, and to deny those rights to broadcasters that do not comply with legal guidelines. Surprisingly absent from debates around RCTV is the fact that our own FCC has closed three TV stations due to legal infractions since 1969: WLBT-TV in Mississippi, CBS affiliate WLNS-TV in Michigan, and Trinity Broadcasting in Miami. In Venezuela, access to the broadcast spectrum is granted and regulated in accordance with the Organic Law of Telecommunications contained in constitutional Article 156.

In 2002, Human Rights Watch found that, "Far from providing fair and accurate reporting, the media by and large seek to provoke popular discontent and outrage in support of the hard-line opposition. The five main privately owned channels—Venevisión, Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV), Globovisión, Televen and CMT—and nine out of the 10 major national newspapers, including El Universal, El Nacional, Tal Cual, El Impulso, El Nuevo País and El Mundo, have taken over the role of the traditional political parties,which were damaged by the president’s electoral victories. Their monopoly on information has put them in a strong position. They give the opposition support, only rarely reporting government statements and never mentioning its large majority…Their investigations, interviews and commentaries all pursue the same objective: to undermine the legitimacy of the government and to destroy the president’s popular support…the media is still directly encouraging dissident elements to overthrow the democratically elected president – if necessary by force…”

Also, before you accuse Chavez of taking control of the media, here are some numbers you may be interested in:

1. Of the 81 television stations in Venezuela, 79 (97%) are privately owned and operated and only 2 are government operated.

2. Of the 709 radio stations in Venezuela, 706 (99%) are privately owned and operated and only 3 are government operated

3. All 118 Newspapers in Venezuela are privately owned and operated.

rebound · #5 05-28-2007, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric5273

This may not be as political as you think. I"ll do a little cut & pasting here:
(Snipped for space)

What's your source?

Also, you'll go to any length as a apologist for Chavez, won't you?

Eric5273 · #6 05-29-2007, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rebound

What's your source?

I would have included a link if I had one, but it was from an email newsletter I receive weekly from a congressman. If you have conflicting information, please do share.

I found it interesting, especially the last part about the number of public and private stations, because the article Wagner posted almost seems to imply that this was the last privately owned station in Venezuela. Yet the information I read in this newsletter indicates that almost the entire media is privately owned, and 90+% of the stations are anti-Chavez and are routinely critical of him. It appears that this one was singled out due to their behavior during the 2002 coup in which they obviously committed treason, and not because they are critical of Chavez.

Overall, Venezuela's media seems to be much more privately owned than our own is. We certainly have many more publicly funded stations than there are in Venezuela. Just about every city in the United States has at least one PBS television station. Here in New York we have a few. And in case you have noticed, publicly funded does not always mean government influenced either. Here in the US, PBS and NPR have been some of the most critical voices in our media when it comes to discussion of government policies. Just because our government funds them does not mean that they blindly promote their policies. It would seem that it is exactly the opposite.

rebound · #7 05-29-2007, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric5273

I would have included a link if I had one, but it was from an email newsletter I receive weekly from a congressman. If you have conflicting information, please do share.

Didn't say I had one, just wondered what yours was.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric5273

I found it interesting, especially the last part about the number of public and private stations, because the article Wagner posted almost seems to imply that this was the last privately owned station in Venezuela. Yet the information I read in this newsletter indicates that almost the entire media is privately owned, and 90+% of the stations are anti-Chavez and are routinely critical of him. It appears that this one was singled out due to their behavior during the 2002 coup in which they obviously committed treason, and not because they are critical of Chavez.

Overall, Venezuela's media seems to be much more privately owned than our own is. We certainly have many more publicly funded stations than there are in Venezuela. Just about every city in the United States has at least one PBS television station. Here in New York we have a few. And in case you have noticed, publicly funded does not always mean government influenced either. Here in the US, PBS and NPR have been some of the most critical voices in our media when it comes to discussion of government policies. Just because our government funds them does not mean that they blindly promote their policies. It would seem that it is exactly the opposite.

It's truly unbelieveable the hypocracy of your position. I would put money down that you would be freaking out if President Bush closed down any station here in the U.S.

Looks like Chavez is just getting started:

Yahoo News Link

But it's ok, since there's so many privately-owned stations, right?

F-ing soclialists.

Wagner · #8 05-28-2007, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NINCHS

I still have not bought Venezuelen gas (Citgo is owned by a Venezuelen company), since he came to the US and went off on Bush. Not becuase I support Bush, but because he came into the US and said it. Only we can put don't down our own president.

I have never bought Citgo fuel, even before the Pres Bush thing.

rebound · #9 05-28-2007, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WagnerX5

I have never bought Citgo fuel, even before the Pres Bush thing.

Not that I entirely disagree, but you do realize that you're only hurting the local guy that owns the station, right?

NINCHS · #10 05-28-2007, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rebound

Not that I entirely disagree, but you do realize that you're only hurting the local guy that owns the station, right?

True, I guess its just the principle of it. There are lots of other options out there. I guess in the end for it to have any real effect everyone would have to do it. I just feel better knowing that my money didnt trickle down some how to chavez.