29 July 2009

Alert

Government minister announces he will use legal mechanisms to take away 50% of television station's licence


Incident details

Harassment

Globovisión, Television station

This is available in:

English Español
(IPYS/IFEX) - On 16 July 2009, Diosdado Cabello, the minister for public works and housing, who is also in charge of the National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL), announced that the government will use legal mechanisms to recover "50% of the licence" of the private television station Globovisión. The minister made this announcement on the state-owned Venezolana de Televisión's "Despertó Venezuela" programme, and added that if it were up to him he would shut down Globovisión.

Cabello said that Globovisión's licence was granted to two people, one of whom is now deceased, and that the government can activate mechanisms to recover 50% of the licence since it "cannot be inherited".

Cabello described Globovisión as a "dirty warfare laboratory" and warned that if the station commits a crime the government will revoke its licence.

Globovisión's president, Guillermo Zuloaga, explained that the station's licence, which was initially granted to two individuals, Zuloaga and Luis Teófilo Núñez, was transferred to Corpomedios, the company that owns Globovisión, and that CONATEL was notified of and accepted the transfer after Núñez's death. Therefore, Corpomedios is the licence holder, and not Zuloaga or Núñez.

The telecommunications law states that holders of licences can be individual persons or legally-recognised entities, and does not indicate that a percentage of a licence can be taken away.

IPYS views the minister's statements as threats against the station.

Source

Instituto Prensa y Sociedad
Sucre N° 317
Barranco, Lima
Perú
postmaster (@) ipys.org
Phone: +51 1 2474465
Fax: +51 1 2473194
 

More on this case

CONATEL opens fourth case against Globovisión television station 30 June 2009 Television station loses appeal, faces fine and seizure of its equipment; camera operator assaulted 12 June 2009 Fine of Globovision suspended by court but equipment confiscated by media regulator not to be returned 19 April 2007 Television station fined, confiscated equipment not returned 17 December 2003 CPJ concerned by administrative proceedings against television station 8 October 2003 Television station's equipment confiscated; CONATEL headquarters attacked 8 October 2003 Television station's equipment confiscated 6 October 2003

Venezuela

Public official assaults journalist, uses his influence to have radio programme taken off the air 19 March 2010 Regional officials use radio programmes to malign media 2 March 2010 RCTVI agrees to carry president's speeches, allowed back on air 26 February 2010 Authorities arrest former police officer in Sambrano murder 25 February 2010 Journalists followed by military intelligence officers; radio station takes programmes off the air to avoid being shut down 23 February 2010


 
The International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) is a global network of 88 organisations working to defend and promote the right to free expression.
Permission is granted for material on this website to be reproduced or republished in whole or in part provided the source member and/or IFEX is cited with a link to the original item.