Venezuelan Regulators Pull 34 Radio Concessions

[Rage for Order]

Source: AP

Venezuelan regulators revoked the broadcast rights of 34 radio stations on Friday, deepening a rift between President Hugo Chavez's government and the private media. Diosdado Cabello, who heads Venezuela's telecommunications regulatory agency, said some of the stations failed to update their registrations or let their concessions expire, while others held licenses granted to an operator who is now deceased. The affected radio stations "will have to end transmissions once they are notified," he said.

Chavez's government has increasingly clashed with private media in recent months and is slowly tightening its grip over the industry, raising concerns among watchdog and human rights groups that accuse the government of trying to stifle dissent. But Cabello denied the government aims to limit freedom of expression or punish political opponents by revoking licenses. "It's not to persecute anyone," he said.

But Nelson Belfort, president of Venezuela's Radio Chamber and owner of five broadcasters affected by the measure, said it was "suspicious" that his stations were sanctioned so quickly. "This is the cost that one has to incur for defending freedom of expression," Belfort told Globovision. "We lament that the media could be shut down, and especially without due process."

More than 200 other radio stations are also under investigation for failing to update their registrations.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jvlx_P9ghozonim6xxllHZpalLRAD99PR26G0

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Drip, drip, drip. Can someone to explain to me how private consolidation of media ownership is bad, but governmental consolidation of media ownership is good?

:shrug: