Ministry: Radio and TV stations are not allowed to transfer licenses
Cambodian Press Review
By Media Consulting and Development
The Ministry of Information issued on February 8 a statement ordering private radio and TV stations not to transfer or sell their licenses to others if they cannot continue the operation, and to instead return them to the ministry, report newspapers today.
The ministry issued the statement after some NGOs and foreigners tried to seek permission for registration or buy the licenses and open their own radio and TV stations, reports Koh Santepheap.
An agent of Radio Free Asia acknowledged the US-based radio station was denied permission to open an FM-airwave branch in Cambodia, so was Kem Sokha’s Cambodian Center for Human Rights, reports Reach Seima News.
“Let’s say if we allow free transfer of the license, that means suppose if Arabia [Saudi] wanted to buy airwaves to broadcast their religion, China, Japan, Iran, Israel, Iraq…can buy the license from our government to broadcast whatever they like, to use our airwave to wage airwave warfare. We have to be precautious,” said the minister, reports Koh Santepheap.
“It the ministry’s work, not ours [to monitor the media],” said Mam Sonando, director of Beehive Radio, who prefers broadcasting station owners be given freedom to sell their licenses, adding that “companies have their strategies. If the businesses are not good, they must change,” reports The Cambodia Daily.
Although transferring of the licenses is banned, the ministry will still allow radio and TV stations to rent their broadcasting hours to their clients, said Khieu Kanharith, reports Koh Santepheap.
“We do not prohibit renting of broadcasting hours of radio and TV stations to which the ministry has granted with licenses to any NGOs or civil society,” he said.
In the statement, the ministry also told the stations to record all their broadcast programs and keep them for at least 10 days after they go on air, reports Koh Santepheap.
Khieu Kanharith said this is useful for handling with possible lawsuits filed against station owners in question, adds The Cambodia Daily.
Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) Secretary-General Mu Sochua said the ministry meant to obstruct airwave control by political parties other than the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) for the coming elections, reports the English-language newspaper.
The SRP has been unsuccessfully trying to obtain licenses to run radio and TV stations, according to Reach Seima News.
Khieu Kanharith said the ministry does not allow political parties to own broadcasting stations, because “If we gave a license to the SRP, we would have to give [them to] all 30 parties,” reports The Cambodia Daily.
According to Reach Seima News, the CPP-led government and CPP control over 10 private and state-run radio and TV stations.
Koh Santepheap notices that the ministry has not applied the same policy onto newspapers, some of which did transfer their licenses.
The ministry issued the statement after some NGOs and foreigners tried to seek permission for registration or buy the licenses and open their own radio and TV stations, reports Koh Santepheap.
An agent of Radio Free Asia acknowledged the US-based radio station was denied permission to open an FM-airwave branch in Cambodia, so was Kem Sokha’s Cambodian Center for Human Rights, reports Reach Seima News.
“Let’s say if we allow free transfer of the license, that means suppose if Arabia [Saudi] wanted to buy airwaves to broadcast their religion, China, Japan, Iran, Israel, Iraq…can buy the license from our government to broadcast whatever they like, to use our airwave to wage airwave warfare. We have to be precautious,” said the minister, reports Koh Santepheap.
“It the ministry’s work, not ours [to monitor the media],” said Mam Sonando, director of Beehive Radio, who prefers broadcasting station owners be given freedom to sell their licenses, adding that “companies have their strategies. If the businesses are not good, they must change,” reports The Cambodia Daily.
Although transferring of the licenses is banned, the ministry will still allow radio and TV stations to rent their broadcasting hours to their clients, said Khieu Kanharith, reports Koh Santepheap.
“We do not prohibit renting of broadcasting hours of radio and TV stations to which the ministry has granted with licenses to any NGOs or civil society,” he said.
In the statement, the ministry also told the stations to record all their broadcast programs and keep them for at least 10 days after they go on air, reports Koh Santepheap.
Khieu Kanharith said this is useful for handling with possible lawsuits filed against station owners in question, adds The Cambodia Daily.
Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) Secretary-General Mu Sochua said the ministry meant to obstruct airwave control by political parties other than the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) for the coming elections, reports the English-language newspaper.
The SRP has been unsuccessfully trying to obtain licenses to run radio and TV stations, according to Reach Seima News.
Khieu Kanharith said the ministry does not allow political parties to own broadcasting stations, because “If we gave a license to the SRP, we would have to give [them to] all 30 parties,” reports The Cambodia Daily.
According to Reach Seima News, the CPP-led government and CPP control over 10 private and state-run radio and TV stations.
Koh Santepheap notices that the ministry has not applied the same policy onto newspapers, some of which did transfer their licenses.
2 comments:
The ignoramus underestimates capability of SRP; it has been operating a radio station for years.
Compliments to SRP.
$$$
Most of khmer people very upset and angrily when seeing only the CPP activities on all TV channels.
They show only the positive activites but the land crabbing,
deforestation caused by CPP high ranking officials, workers demonstration have never shown at all.
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