[mobglob-discuss] update (27/11) on media access in Venezuela, etc

[michael a. lebowitz]

         I've learned an important lesson about monitoring opposition 
websites-- if you see something interesting, copy it immediately because 
history gets rewritten here. I noted yesterday that Chavez had called upon 
the electoral commission (CNE) to enforce the law to ensure access of 
pro-government parties to be able to advertise on the private media 
channels (and that he had vowed to use his power to use the 'chains' for 
access to the private stations otherwise). When I looked this morning at 
eluniversal.com, I found that they reported that the CNE had ruled that 
each channel (including the state channel) must provide a daily total of 72 
minutes for each side-- 2 minutes on each side for the Chavist legislators 
who are being challenged and 2 for Chavez. That information has now 
disappeared. It is replaced by a new item, which explains what the stations 
have decided to do (out of the goodness of their hearts):

>The Venezuelan private TV networks have vowed to broadcast advertising 
>spots supporting or rejecting an impending collection of signatures to 
>demand recall votes against President Hugo Chávez and pro-government 
>lawmakers for free, representatives of TV channels Radio Caracas 
>Televisión, Globovisión, and Venevisión.
>
>"We have agreed to broadcast free of charge any propaganda (ruling party) 
>MVR wants to air, (provided) it complies with regulations of the National 
>Electoral Council. We are vowing to broadcast President (Chávez') 
>electoral party spots for free, and we have offered to do the same with 
>(the opposition umbrella group) Democratic Coordinator, opposition groups 
>and President Chávez," said Marcel Granier, president of Grupo 1BC, which 
>owns RCTV. Granier was accompanied by Víctor Ferreres (Venevisión), and 
>Alberto Federico Ravell (Globovisión).

         Further on the cards that workers in the private sector are being 
given by their employers to bring to the signature tables: the state tv 
station has been filled with coverage of this today, but the only sign of 
it on the private stations that I've seen was from the coverage of an 
announcement late last night by the UNT leader who had shown me the card. 
Among the companies distributing the card are one of the leading banks 
(Banco Mercantil) and Coca Cola. How to protect unorganised workers in this 
situation is, of course, very difficult; one government deputy called upon 
workers who have received such a card to sign the petition and get their 
card stamped (in order to protect themselves) and then to go to a table 
elsewhere to sign again (thereby invalidating their signature). It's 
neither clear that this strategy has been thought out well nor that there 
is a feasible alternative at this point that can protect individual workers.
         in solidarity,
          michael


---------------------
Michael A. Lebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Economics Department
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
Office Fax:   (604) 291-5944
Home:   Phone (604) 689-9510


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