Sale of "Globovisión" "mute" on Venezuelan television criticism - Free Press

BY AGENCY AFP Venezuela

CARACAS

. – “This sale will bring a reduction in the diversity and plurality in all media in the country, and will have a chilling effect on the critical Venezuelan television, “said Carlos Correa, director of the NGO to defend freedom of expression Public Space.

“The owners decided to sell forced by political and economic infeasibility channel, subjected to systematic harassment of the government, so it is clear that the new owners will change the editorial line and the opposition lost a space to express themselves,” said Correa .

President Chavez manager and candidate for election April 14, Nicolas Maduro, said this Wednesday morning that the owners sold the channel Globovision because they know the opposition is going to “lose the election” and decided to leave the country.

Maduro also said that surely now “television that plant gates open at true democracy.”

sale of a majority stake in Globovision was announced last month by the board of the channel, which argued that political pressure from the government and the mass of lawsuits and administrative proceedings were “impractical” to the channel.

Juan Domingo Cordero, the buyer, is an economist and businessman linked to the business market, banking and insurance. He was president of the Caracas Stock Exchange (1989-1993) and since 2008 is the main shareholder of Insurance Annuity, according to reports.

Channel

Some workers even suggest that Cordero “sectors have direct links with the ruling” and ensure that eliminate the critical line of Globovision.

While others claim that the outgoing board asked “a vote of confidence” for the buyer and expect their jobs as the editorial line of Globovision survive the change of ownership.

But Marcelino Bisbal, a communications professor at the Catholic University Andres Bello, said that “the buyer knows that Globovision has an expiration date in 2015, when the concession expires gives the State, and that the government has already said it will not renew. “

The late President Hugo Chavez (1999-2013) did not renew in 2007 the granting of Radio Caracas Television (RCTV ), one of the most popular in the country with 53 years of history and very critical government, and often came to be used by the state TVES . The government then accused of “coup” to directors of RCTV .

“Knowing that the first choice to win the presidential lies with the candidate, the buyer insurance plan to change the editorial and informational to ensure your investment,” said Bisbal.

The sale, which experts said was closed for about $ 80 million and will be implemented on April 15, comprising 80% of the shares of the canal, which are held by two families. The other 20% of the station was seized by the government three years ago to its owner, holding claims against the State to recover it.

channel Globovision is the only critic of the government remains open signal transmitting, although to a limited extent to Caracas and the nearby city of Valencia.

However, according to Correa, Globovision signal “cable reach to many other parts and plays a major role in shaping the public agenda, with topics introduced by the opposition.”

“With the sale will miss a critical window for which there have been expressing and reporting approaches that do not fit into other channels,” said the journalist Gloria Cuenca.

The station, on the air since 1994, accumulating several administrative sanctions, fines and multimillion closure has been threatened several times by the government, accusing the channel partners “media terrorists” and nicknamed “Globoterror” .

Globovision

responsible have said they are subject to political persecution because of their editorial. However, the Venezuelan government ensures that actions match against strictly legal reasons.

To avoid garnishment and to repeal the provision of frequency, half paid in the middle of last year a $ 2.1 million fine imposed on him regulator Conatel, accusing him of making “defense of crime” in the coverage of a bloody prison riot in June 2011.

One of the owners of the channel, Guillermo Zuloaga, currently in the U.S., is also wanted by the Venezuelan justice accusing him of usury and conspiracy.

“Only if we win (the opposition candidate) Henrique Capriles could perhaps get rid of Globovision sale and avoided total neutralization of Venezuelan television,” said Bisbal.