[May 19, 2007] Venezuela Supreme Court tosses out appeal on behalf of RCTV Tweet (EFE News Service Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) The Venezuelan Supreme Court ruled "inadmissable" one of the appeals that have been brought to allow private television channel RCTV to continue broadcasting on a state frequency after May 27 when its concession expires. The court ruled Thursday that "to resolve what concerns the granting, use, revocation and other relations between the government and the concessionaire" is a matter for the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel). The decision was taken by the Constitutional Chamber with a motion by the head of the Supreme Court, Judge Luisa Morales. The appeal was brought by the president of Radio Caracas Television (RCTV), Marcel Granier, for the purpose of continuing transmissions after the concession expires. The Supreme Court still has on the docket other appeals seeking the same objective. Next May 27 the 20-year concession expires that has permitted RCTV to transmit over a state frequency and that the government has announced it will not renew. The vacancy that RCTV will leave among the open-signal channels will be covered by a public television service operated by the Venezuelan Social Television Foundation, created by a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette last May 11. Telecommunications Minister Jesse Chacon said Thursday that the change does not signify the nationalization of the television spectrum and explained that VHF frequencies currently have 20 private channels and one government channel, a proportion that starting May 28 will change to 19 private channels and two government channels. Although government spokespersons have insisted that the decision not to renew the RCTV concession "is irreversible," sectors of the opposition have called for a protest march on May 19 to demand reconsideration of the measure. Interior Minister Pedro Carreno said Thursday that thousands of police including special commandos will be deployed to make sure the march is not attacked by snipers. Carreno said that there are "crazed" radical sectors of the opposition that could be planning a sniper attack against the demonstrators in order to blame the government for it. "This security measure will shield us from any possible auto-attack," Carreno said. International, political, social and journalistic organizations, including the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), an association of media owners, and Amnesty International, have protested the action being taken against the RCTV channel, while other groups, particularly in Brazil, have supported the decision. Communications Minister William Lara said that this is not a "closure" of RCTV and said that the company can continue transmitting via satellite or cable while maintaining its "telenovela" business, which is widely successful in the U.S. Latino market and in Asia. Copyright 2007 EFE News Services (U.S.) Inc., Source: The Financial Times Limited [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]