Venezuela-U.S.: Looming War of the Airwaves

[sintax]

Venezuela-U.S: Looming War of the Airwaves
Friday, Jul 22, 2005
By: Humberto Márquez - IPS
CARACAS, Jul 21 (IPS) - The Venezuelan Congress approved a resolution opposing a decision by the U.S. House of Representatives to finance radio and TV broadcasts to Venezuela with the aim of countering Telesur, a new pan-Latin American station.

Telesur, a Venezuelan government initiative undertaken in association with Argentina, Cuba and Uruguay, has already drawn the wrath of the United States even before it goes on the air this Sunday.

The U.S. lower house of Congress passed an amendment Wednesday "to initiate radio and television broadcasts that will provide a consistently accurate, objective, and comprehensive source of news to Venezuela" to counter Telesur's "anti-Americanism," in the words of Republican Rep. Connie Mack of Florida, who sponsored the amendment.

Telesur will begin to broadcast from Caracas on Jul. 24, the anniversary of the birth of South American independence leader Simón Bolívar.

The station's goal is to foment regional integration with newscasts, films, documentaries and music by Latin American and Caribbean producers, and to provide a counterweight to programming from the United States, like what is offered by CNN.

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1697

[getmeouttahere]

1. Hooray for Telesur!

is there a way we can contribute to that station? We should all do it. Save the Venezuelans from BushCo!

www.handsoffvenezuela.org

[poetsdream]

2. News for the Masses

Not the masters...

Yay for Telesur!!!!!!1


:woohoo:

[ToeBot]

3. What's up with this shit?

"...the House of Representatives also agreed to earmark nine million dollars in 2006 and another nine million in 2007 to support opposition political parties, media and civil society organisations in Venezuela,"

Is this legal? Something about our government financing foreign political parties strikes me as improper.

[sintax]

4. It's standard operating procedure

It's best at first to get the gov't you want using USAID, National Endowment for Democracy, IRI, US Chamber of Commerce and other nefarious and corrupt outfits. If it doesn't work out only then do you begin with the assassinations.

[bananas]

5. Wikipedia entry links to website

Wikipedia has an entry for it,
with a link to it's website.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telesur

http://www.telesurtv.net/

[Voltaire99]

6. Pity that Telesur isn't available in the US...

...whose incurious TV watchers also need a counterweight to CNN/FOX/etc.

[eablair3]

7. had the same thought

It would be nice if Venezuela would fund a television station that would beam some diversity into the U.S. television market. Perhaps they could eventually send an English language version our way. We'd no doubt find a lot of truth and viewpoints in it that are not reported here.

It'd be great to see english versions of Al Jazeera and Telesur in the U.S.

[cire4]

8. CCTV is the best bet for an international perspective IMO

In my experience, I have found that the best non-American, English-language channel available in the US is CCTV (China Central Television). True, it may be the propaganda wing of the Chinese government, but it still is much much much more interesting and informative than CNN/Faux/MSGOP. Once you start watching the nightly international news, you will find yourself laughing every time you go back and turn on the 24 hour cable networks because you realize just how terrible they are when it comes to actually reporting the news. You also begin to see just how insignificant some of the stuff that qualifies as "news" in the US really is.

But it would be great to bring Telesur to America. They already are bringing an English language Al Jazeera channel to the US, which should provide a perspective that Americans are not used to.

[Voltaire99]

9. Interesting

Is CCTV available via Comcast, to your knowledge?

My own favorite has been the mixed international broadcasts available through Newsworld International: French, Canadian, DW, ITV, etc.

I confess, though, that even intelligent TV news moves too slow for me now. The Net has so changed how and where I get information that I find myself feeling impatient in front of the TV, wishing there was a scroll bar. ;-)

[cire4]

11. CCTV is available at least on Dish Network

...as for other cable providers, I am uncertain. There is alot of inconsitency among them when it comes to international channels. I sadly do no get Newsworld International even though I know many other people who do (and they also rave about it). I've tried calling requesting it, but I don't think they care.

Hopefully, when English Al Jazeera comes out, there will be a cable operator with enough balls to carry it. This seems like something that Bill O'Reilly and other close-minded conservatives will wage a crusade against.

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. Al Jazeera still has plans for an English language version

NEW YORK | July 02, 2005 11:11:42 PM IST

The Qatar-based cable channel al-Jazeera has begun talks with U.S. executives for a English-language version of the Middle East news channel.

Some U.S. cable and satellite operators told Daily Variety talks with al-Jazeera were in the very early stages for a English-language offshoot planned for 2006.

The new news channel would hire hundreds of journalists and producers over the next few months for bureaus in Washington, London and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=93375&cat=Entertainment

[Dirk39]

12. An economy that works for the people instead of the corrupt wealthy few...

and now this ruthless dictator is challenging the free world with a free press. The Venezuelan government is a bunch of dangerous terrorists. They are worse than Hitler, Pol-Pot and Saddam Hussein combined: a government for the people by the people through the people and now they even install a free press, not just prostitutes payed for by the wealthy few: a free press. They are so unamerican...

Hasta la victioria siempre,
Dirk