Venezuela : government renews TV station’s licence for only five years

The National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel) renewed privately-owned national TV broadcaster Televén’s licence for only five years on 9 September, instead of the 20 years envisaged under the law. Speaking on the air the next day, President Hugo Chávez warned Televén and other TV stations that he would withdraw their broadcast licences “if they continue to incite a coup d’état.” Formerly very critical of Chávez’s “Bolivarian” government, Televén modified its editorial policies after the April 2002 coup attempt against the president and even let Chávez’s former vice-president, journalist José Vicente Rangel, host a Sunday political discussion programme. The change at Televén matched that of another privately-owned national TV station, Venevisión, whose licence was finally renewed for five years in May 2007, at the same time that Venezuela’s leading privately-owned broadcaster, RCTV, had its licence withdrawn. “For those wondering why Televén’s concession was renewed for five years instead of 20, President Chávez seems to have provided the answer during his latest televised speech,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Conatel is supposed to be an independent entity, but if it is reduced to circumventing the law at the president’s behest, it would perhaps be simpler to put the president in charge of allocating broadcast frequencies.”