Tension rises as RCTV off the airwaves deadline approaches - TVes

With the private TV channel RCTV about to be taken off the air on Sunday May 27th at 11:59pm sporadic incidents have been occurring in Venezuela as the rancid, non-democratic opposition tries to destabilize the country any way it can.

*        A camera crew of state TV station VTV was attacked in Táchira state by students protesting at the “state of the country” and the non renewal of the RCTV broadcasting license

*        In the Central University in Caracas well-known talk show of VTV host Jorge Arreaza was surrounded and verbally attacked with megaphones calling him a “fascist” as he went to give a class on international affairs. The same reasons were given for the aggression – broadcasting license of RCTV

*        Communications of the Metropolitan Police were interrupted by some one calling for an armed rebellion against the government. Pamphlets calling for an armed uprising were also distributed in several Metropolitan Police Stations in the capital as well as calling on the police to go on strike on Saturday May 26th.

*        Declassified documents from the US State Department have revealed the names of “opposition journalists and news anchors” received payments from the US government in 2003 and 2004.

The RCTV case has become a “cause celèbre” for the splintered Venezuelan opposition since it was the main channel which fed their point if view with “news and opinions” designed to delegitimize the government and President Chávez in particular. Tactics ranged from phtoshopping pictures, spreading rumors, manipulating economic information, arbitrary media attacks on ministers and a general scorn for the majority of the Venezuelan people, especially the poor and underprivileged.

All accompanied by strident presenters and journalists, all of whom were white thus denying the existence of the multiethnicity of the Venezuelan population as a whole.

Its programming was characterized by violence, racism, sex, US values, psychological torture, denigration of women reducing them to the status of sex objects, consumerism, game shows and general mind numbing rubbish which would not be beneficial for any nation’s mental health.

The broadcasting license granted on May 27th 1987 and good for 20 years runs out on Sunday. RCTV has appealed to the Supreme Court, to the Organization of American States, to the European Parliament, held seminars internationally claiming that the channel was being “closed” (more lies).

The fact is that RCTV will continue on cable and satellite TV but will not be able to broadcast on Venezuelan airwaves which are administered by the State. Its installations will be open and it will continue to produce soap operas from which it receives an annual income of US$36 million.

What it will lose – and this is the nub of the question – is most of the US$310 million in advertising revenue which will go to its rival commercial stations Venevison and Televen, both with national coverage.

RCTV will be replaced by TVes – Venezuelan Social Television - at just after mid night on May 28th. TVes will initially be funded by the government until it funds itself from advertising. Programs will be produced by independent producers with emphasis being on education and ethical values so as to offset the mass of TV rubbish broadcast in Venezuela, of which RCTV was the champion.

The next few days could see violent disturbances in Venezuela but the government and Venezuelan people are ready for any fascist uprising last seen in April 2002.

Andy Goodall
VSC Coordinator