May 30th., 2007

The Closing Of A Radio Caracas Television

The closing of RCTV was announced by Chávez with five months of anticipation.  On December 28, uniformed as a commander parachute, in an event of military nature, he informed that the channel would disappear from the radio electric space:  “I have already drafted the measure, we will not tolerate insurgent media that attempt against the revolution…no means of communication may be against the people”.  On Friday, May 18, he acknowledged that a world battled had unfolded against the suspension of the channel, “but the only way in which the concession will not be over is if on Sunday, May 27, at midnight, Hugo Chávez is no longer President of Venezuela”.  At the exact moment pointed out by Chávez, on midnight of Sunday, May 27, RCTV disappeared from the screen of channel 2, which had been assigned to such channel 53 years back.  In the previous days, commercial TV channels had to broadcast, in compliance with the TV and Radio Law (Content Law), the same commercials broadcasted by the government justifying the measure.

The world battle against the closing of RCTV, referenced by Chávez, included the OAS, the Interamerican Press Society, the International Radio Association, Journalists without Frontiers, The International Press Institute, the European Parliament, the United States Senate, Latin American parliamentarians, means of communications from a major part of the planet, organizations in charge of human rights and freedom of expression, political personalities of the most various latitudes, including important strategic allies, such as Brazil and Argentina, whose governments prevented a support decree requested to MERCOSUR by the Venezuelan Chancellor.  President Lula, on Tuesday, May 29, denied to comment on the decision but sent an implicit message:  “Democracy allows the means to say whatever they seem best, in the moment they seem best, and be judged by the only competent judge:  the listeners, the TV audience and the readers”.

Chávez made reference to the other battle, of national character.  On May 29, he said “A process of destabilization is underway, and I want to warn Globovisión to measure its steps, the same medicine for RCTV will be administered if it continues to incite to violence”.  Globovisión, a news channel, is the only TV station that dares to report the student demonstrations that have taken the streets protesting over the closing of RCTV and claiming for freedom.  He added that the warning was also for radio stations and printed means that “distort the information”.  Hours later, the Minister of Justice announced the detention of hundreds of students that protested and stated to have instructed the police and military forces to prevent street unrest.  Antonio Pasquali, former UNESCO officer and an emblematic service TV figure, denounced that the channel placed in Channel 2 is another channel, to the service of Chávez.  “What we have is a transition to an open and hard dictatorship”.

ONE COLOR MEDIATIC SCENERY

The polls coincide in that 80% of Venezuelans is not in agreement with the closing and the analysts consider that this is about a challenge on the part of Chávez towards the public opinion, with a very high political cost.  Venezuela and the closing of RCTV was a highlighted new in the main Europe newspapers.  The Presidency of the European Union issued a declaration attesting to the concern for the RCTV case, and the most important European means coincide in the censure of the measure.  In Latin America, the only paper that applauded the measure was Granma, the organ of the Cuban Communist Party, that saluted the suspension of the license to make use of the frequency now in the hands of the Government, as Chávez´s lucky hit, which will now be to the service of the people.

Before taking RCTV out of the air, Chávez dedicated, for several days, to make long talks in national TV chains.  Sometimes he did it so that the screens of RCTV could not show, live, the street protest demonstrations or the condemnatory declarations on the part of institutions and relevant figures of the country and abroad.  All together, it was a speech that amounted to 40 hours.  From the verbal rubbish, it is indispensable to extract what we consider essential:  “Do not forget, he insisted, that Hugo Chávez is a soldier at the service of the Revolution”.  He affirmed that Marx and Lenin, inspired in the Clausewitz doctrine, taught that revolutionaries must have very clear strategic goals, assuming the risk of audacious tactical movements.  “The current battle is for media  power”.  He affirmed that the private property of the major means of communications is the obstacle that difficulties the deepening of the revolution.  The means of the oligarchy are the enemy to be confronted and that within the exercise of the right of the State to deny the concession to an insurgent channel, the revolution is moving forward towards the strategic objective of assuming media hegemony.  “We are defeating the old ideology…the hegemony of the oligarchy dies and the peoples hegemony is born”.  Chávez, in an unusual manner, made use of annotations to explain Gramsci´s Thesis, which have allowed him, as he affirmed, to find the correct path in the current stage of the revolution.  He explained that the dominant classes have had control of the educational system and the means of communication, reason why the old system has not yet died and why the new one is still not born.  He explained that the conquered media hegemony will allow the destruction of the venomous capitalist ideology and will impose ethical and cultural values of the Bolivarian Socialism.  The State is the owner of the radio electric spectrum and now we are going to exercise the right to guarantee that the message of the media corresponds to the interests of the people.  My government, he said, will adjust its agenda to the creation of a new man, with new cultural values, with a new mentality.

The Academic, Marcelino Bisbal dedicated to investigate the media situation, affirms that a one color mediatic scenery has been created.  The government has 7 TV channels and has subdued all the rest, except for Globovisión, to a strict self censure.  It has two powerful radio circuits, it finances thousands of community stations, sponsors the alternative media handled by political activists (145 radio stations and 18 local TV stations), more than one hundred WEB pages.  “Venezuelans will not have information TV channels that differ from the point of view and opinion of power”.  Manuel Rosales, the unitary candidate for the opposition in the past elections, proposed to call for a consultation referendum so that the people may decide regarding the concession for RCTV.

A NEW SCENERY

New actors appear in the Venezuelan scenery.  For the first time, in eight years, it is the students and youth who spontaneously take the streets to protest against Chávez.  A new weapon appears in their hands, cellular phones.  They are repressed by the military and by police, leaving a count of injured and detained.  Official sources acknowledged that on May 29, 97 protest focuses took place.  The groups´ leaders exchange text messages to locate police platoons and therefore be able to elude them.  The magnitude of the demonstration in the City of Caracas was informed by the Government:  182 detained young ones.  Also new actors, the stars in entertainment shows, the ones that portray the characters whose acting in the screen emotionally communicate with millions of TV viewers whose passion is soap operas.  Their farewell tears on Sunday, May 27 and their disappearance in the soap operas of major audience have impacted the popular sectors, whose only distraction were the soap operas, the comedy or competition shows like “Who wants to be a millionaire” , which placed the audience rating of RCTV in 90%.  The message of idol-artists have re claimed the concrete value of human rights.  “Freedom” is no longer an abstraction, to become a daily necessity.  “Why am I being taken away of my liberty to watch my favorite soap opera?  Why I am being taken away of the liberty to go to a TV channel and denounce the problems of my neighborhood?  “Why am I being taken away of my right to protest peacefully?  The journalists ask themselves  “What is the purpose of this profession if to work we will need to become pro Chávez followers?  For the ordinary Venezuelan, “liberty” now enters the agenda of their material necessities.

Within the new actors, one is highlighted: Marcel Granier, the director of RCTV, who has affronted Chávez with courage and intelligence.  Upon the threat to close the channel, he declared that this was an act of harassment and that the TV station would not modify its editing position.  Entrepreneurs that have acquired multimillion fortunes in the past years sent him signals of their disposition to buy the TV station.  “RCTV is not for sale”, was the answer.  Granier exercised all the resources provided for in the Venezuelan laws to defend the right for the concession.  His requests have been denied.  48 hours before the closing, surprisingly, the Supreme Court of Justice authorized the government to appropriate of the antennas and equipment of RCTV in order to assure the operations of the new official channel, Tves.

On the night of May 28, he read a message.  We did not sell our editing line.  He affirmed that RCTV is a victim of retaliation for exercising independent journalism.  The authoritarian character of a government that fears opinion, intelligence, liberty and critic is out on the open.  “This decision is dictated upon fear and grounded in the abuse of power.  The regime wins but it does not convince”.  Granier, supported by various NGO´s, achieved that the Interamerican Court of Human Rights request a claim before the competent Tribunal of the interamerican system, which was admitted and it will probably demand the compliance of treaties that oblige Venezuela regarding liberty of information, expression, and respect to property.  Granier, invested of great moral authority and with a powerful audience in society announced that he is going to head a national and international crusade in the defense of liberty and human rights.  The country is expectant of Marcel Granier.