The corporate media vs. Chavez: Uneasy standoff in Venezuela's media wars!

[IndianaGreen]

The corporate media vs. Chavez: Uneasy standoff in Venezuela's media wars!

Published: Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Bylined to: Diana Barahona

Freelance journalist Diana Barahona writes: The controversy surrounding the media in Venezuela refuses to die. This is because the country is experimenting with a slow but steady anti-capitalist restructuring which the private media see as a threat to their existence. At this juncture, after surviving a military coup, a 63-day oil stoppage-sabotage (the oil coup) and a presidential referendum -- all backed by the private media -- President Hugo Chavez is encouraging the formation of public and community media to counteract attacks on "the process" by the private media.

In Venezuela, people are starting more community radio and TV stations. The state TV station, channel 8, has improved greatly in professional quality without losing its leftist perspective. And now for the rest of Latin America there is the public satellite channel, Telesur. Formed with funding from Venezuela (51%), Argentina (20%), Cuba (19%) and Uruguay (10%), Telesur is being hailed as a blow to cultural imperialism, and the private media are not pleased.

Even the press ... for which Telesur doesn't represent any competition ... is assailing the network for being funded by the oil money "which belongs to every Venezuelan" and excluding the right.

On the news stands there is a variety of anti-government newspapers and one pro-government daily which is celebrating its second anniversary: Diario Vea. It's political editor, Jesus Moreno, gave me a tour and explained how Vea was born out of the phenomenon of small alternative newspapers which appeared to defend the process during the political crises which challenged the Chavez government; there were as many as 600 publications at one point. Some of the publishers got together to start Vea, first as a biweekly ... and it has grown into a national daily with a circulation of 85,000. It survives solely on paid announcements by government institutions and sales of the paper.

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=45544

[oscar111]

1. RECOMND FOR GREATEST pg: butt, bott OP. HOLLAND has

or had, a model i like --

citizen media groups got pages in the paper to totally control, in proportion to their membership.

Got 30% of the town's citizens? You got a third of the daily paper to totally control. Nice. Might also have applied/apply to radio, tv.

that was the case 20 yrs ago. Unknown how they do it now.

Italy has/had, no licence needed for radio stations. Every important candidate for office would start his own radio station as part of his campaign.

AAR EXPANSION VIA UNION LOCALS
the LOCALS can expand it, like the anchorage IBEW local did. bought KUDO, put AAR on air. IBEW is electricxal workers. dont wait for the sluggish AFLCIO, get a LOCAL to do the job.

[blue sky at night]

2. you know if they didn't hate us like the scurvy dogs that we are.......

I would think about moving down there, any good sailing lakes?