S
Smart American
Guest
Thursday, May 31st, 2007
Chavez Shuts Down Venezuelan TV Station as Supporters, Opponents
Rally: A Debate on the Closing of RCTV
Listen to Segment || Download Show mp3
Watch 128k stream Watch 256k stream Read Transcript
Help Printer-friendly version Email to a friend
Purchase Video/CD
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Venezuela in four
days of protests and counter-protests over the closing of TV network
Radio Caracas Television. President Hugo Chavez decided not to renew
the station's TV license over its support for the coup that
temporarily removed him from power five years ago. We host a debate on
the issue. [includes rush transcript]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Venezuela, thousands of people have taken to the streets in four
days of protests and counter-protests over the closing of TV network
Radio Caracas Television, or RCTV. The Venezuelan government decided
not to renew RCTV's television license earlier this year. Police,
protesters and government supporters have clashed violently in Caracas
since Sunday, and scores of people have been arrested.
President Hugo Chavez's decision to close RCTV - Venezuela's oldest
private television network - has received international condemnation,
including from the European Union, press freedom groups, Chile and the
United States.
The Venezuelan government says it cancelled RCTV over its support for
the coup that briefly overthrew Chavez five years ago. At the time,
RCTV and other opposition TV channels openly supported the coup. In a
national address on Monday, Chavez defended his decision to close
RCTV, denouncing it as a "permanent attack on public morals."
He also called news network Globovision an enemy of the state, and
criticized its coverage of the protests against RCTV's closure.
Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan president: "What Globovision did last night
was an open and clear indication that they would kill me. Well, people
of Globovision, I am going to alert you in front of the country on the
national chain of radio and television, I recommend that you take a
tranquilizer, because if not I am going to do what is necessary."
On Monday, Venezuela's government announced it was suing Globovision
for allegedly broadcasting material to incite a possible assassination
of Chavez. It also accused US news network CNN of linking him to al-
Qaeda. Globovision and CNN have both denied the claims.
RCTV's general manager Marcel Granier has described the closure as
"abusive" and "arbitrary". The Venezuelan government refused to renew
its license on the grounds that it conspired against Chavez during the
2002 coup, including broadcasting footage falsely blaming Chavez
supporters for violence, applauding coup leaders as they overthrew the
government and then refusing to report that Chavez had returned to
power following mass protests.
In a moment we'll have a debate on this issue, but first let's turn to
a documentary made by two filmmakers who were in Caracas during the
2002 coup. The film is called "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised."
"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" - excerpt of documentary
produced by Kim Bartley and Donnacha O'Briain.
That clip featured an interview with Andres Izarra, a news manager
with RCTV during the 2002 coup. He later quit the station in protest
over its coverage. Andres Izarra joins us now from a studio in
Caracas. He later served as Venezuela's communications minister under
President Chavez and is now president of TeleSUR. And joining us on
the telephone from Connecticut is Francisco Rodr
Chavez Shuts Down Venezuelan TV Station as Supporters, Opponents
Rally: A Debate on the Closing of RCTV
Listen to Segment || Download Show mp3
Watch 128k stream Watch 256k stream Read Transcript
Help Printer-friendly version Email to a friend
Purchase Video/CD
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Venezuela in four
days of protests and counter-protests over the closing of TV network
Radio Caracas Television. President Hugo Chavez decided not to renew
the station's TV license over its support for the coup that
temporarily removed him from power five years ago. We host a debate on
the issue. [includes rush transcript]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Venezuela, thousands of people have taken to the streets in four
days of protests and counter-protests over the closing of TV network
Radio Caracas Television, or RCTV. The Venezuelan government decided
not to renew RCTV's television license earlier this year. Police,
protesters and government supporters have clashed violently in Caracas
since Sunday, and scores of people have been arrested.
President Hugo Chavez's decision to close RCTV - Venezuela's oldest
private television network - has received international condemnation,
including from the European Union, press freedom groups, Chile and the
United States.
The Venezuelan government says it cancelled RCTV over its support for
the coup that briefly overthrew Chavez five years ago. At the time,
RCTV and other opposition TV channels openly supported the coup. In a
national address on Monday, Chavez defended his decision to close
RCTV, denouncing it as a "permanent attack on public morals."
He also called news network Globovision an enemy of the state, and
criticized its coverage of the protests against RCTV's closure.
Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan president: "What Globovision did last night
was an open and clear indication that they would kill me. Well, people
of Globovision, I am going to alert you in front of the country on the
national chain of radio and television, I recommend that you take a
tranquilizer, because if not I am going to do what is necessary."
On Monday, Venezuela's government announced it was suing Globovision
for allegedly broadcasting material to incite a possible assassination
of Chavez. It also accused US news network CNN of linking him to al-
Qaeda. Globovision and CNN have both denied the claims.
RCTV's general manager Marcel Granier has described the closure as
"abusive" and "arbitrary". The Venezuelan government refused to renew
its license on the grounds that it conspired against Chavez during the
2002 coup, including broadcasting footage falsely blaming Chavez
supporters for violence, applauding coup leaders as they overthrew the
government and then refusing to report that Chavez had returned to
power following mass protests.
In a moment we'll have a debate on this issue, but first let's turn to
a documentary made by two filmmakers who were in Caracas during the
2002 coup. The film is called "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised."
"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" - excerpt of documentary
produced by Kim Bartley and Donnacha O'Briain.
That clip featured an interview with Andres Izarra, a news manager
with RCTV during the 2002 coup. He later quit the station in protest
over its coverage. Andres Izarra joins us now from a studio in
Caracas. He later served as Venezuela's communications minister under
President Chavez and is now president of TeleSUR. And joining us on
the telephone from Connecticut is Francisco Rodr
