[IRCA] Fwd: [mwc] Venezuela news

[Nick Hall-Patch <nhp@xxxxxxxx>]

This from the Medium Wave Circle list:




>Venezuela steps up control of television and radio
>
>July 10th, 2009 - 14:54 UTC by Andy Sennitt
><http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/venezuela-steps-up-control-of-television-a
>nd-radio>
>
>Venezuela is taking dozens of radio stations off the air and putting
>stricter
>rules on cable and satellite television, a minister said yesterday, as part
>of President Hugo Chavez's battle with private media firms.
>
>Disodado Cabello, the public works minister who also oversees Venezuela's
>broadcasting watchdog, said 154 FM radio stations will be taken off the
>air and shifted into public hands in what he called "democratizing the
>airwaves".
>He recently said 86 AM radio stations will also be hit as the government
>steps up efforts to turn Venezuela into a socialist society.
>
>The use of the radio-electric spectrum is one of the few areas where the
>revolution has not been felt, Mr Cabello said in a presentation to
>legislators about the need for reform in the sector. President Chavez and his
>supporters describe their drive to broadcast a pro-government message as a "media war"
>with private news companies. Venezuela's media is highly polarized with
>biased coverage the norm on both government and private networks.
>
>The president has vastly expanded the number of publicly owned television
>and radio stations since he took office in 1999. Some are directly owned
>or financed by the government, while others are operated by cooperatives
>and community groups. In 2007 President Chavez did not renew the
>concession for a widely watched critical private TV station RCTV.
>
>Mr Cabello also announced plans to apply Venezuelan broadcasting regulations
>to cable and satellite television stations that produced more than a third
>of their content in the oil-exporting nation. The new rules for subscription
>television seemed to be aimed specifically at RCTV, which now broadcasts
>only on cable. RCTV was Venezuela's most popular television station, watched
>by millions because of its soap operas. The station was highly critical
>of President Chavez and played an active role in a failed coup against
>him in 2002.
>
>Related stories:
>
>Venezuela to remove broadcast licence from 240 radio stations
><http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/venezuela-to-remove-broadcast-licence-from
>-240-radio-stations>
>
>courtesy media netwoek weblog

*****************************
Nick Hall-Patch
Victoria, BC
Canada 

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