Chavez Supporters Defend Venezuela Radio

Posted on Wed, Apr. 09, 2003 CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela - Tucked away in one of Caracas' poorest districts, Radio Perola is raising the hackles of Venezuela's big media executives.

From a room the size of a walk-in closet, Radio Perola - and dozens of other small, government-sponsored stations - broadcast programs supporting President Hugo Chavez and his self-proclaimed revolution.

Chavez argues the stations counter opposition-allied commercial broadcast media that don't address issues vital to Venezuela's poor. Media executives argue the unlicensed stations interfere with their signals and are Chavez propaganda machines.

"They use frequencies that overlap those of other stations, and all they do is spread government propaganda," said Miguel Martinez, president of the Venezuelan Chamber of Broadcasting Industries.

"We aren't neutral," concedes Radio Perola manager Carlos Carles. "We have a position. It just so happens that most people here in this district support the president."

Chavez, a former paratroop commander who was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000, frequently accuses Venezuela's news media of conspiring to overthrow him. Many private broadcasters promoted a recent two-month general strike to demand Chavez quit. Now Congress, dominated by Chavez's ruling party, is considering legislation to strictly regulate broadcast content.

"It's no secret that the private media is against Chavez. That's why the government turns a blind eye to the abuses by pro-Chavez community radio," said opposition lawmaker Alberto Jordan, a member of Congress' media committee. "Many are operating in a clandestine form, moving from place to place so they can't be located."

Dominated by ruling party members, the media committee has shelved complaints, said Jordan.

At Radio Perola, disc jockeys spin tunes by the late folk singer Ali Primera, a social activist. Guests announce workshops for single mothers or meetings on neighborhood problems.

"Most of our programming focuses on community issues," Carles said in a room sporting photos of Ernesto "Che" Guevara and Chavez and pro-government graffiti.

Licensed private stations complain there are too many loopholes in legislation regulating community radio, and that the government permits abuses. Alvin Lezama, an executive at the state-run communications watchdog, says new rules will allow citizens, rather than the government, to regulate noncommercial stations.

"What is the best way to control this? That the communities take possession of these stations," Lezama said.

"We have to open channels so consumers control their media outlets because we are never going to have the technology or human resources to do it," added Lezama. "It's a truly revolutionary idea."

The rules put the same limits on signal strength for both commercial and community broadcasters. But community stations routinely exceed those limits.

"They are a threat. Our signal has been affected in some cities ... including Caracas and Maracaibo by these community stations," said Antonio Serfati, executive vice president of Union Radio, which broadcasts nationwide.

"Interference isn't the only problem. They broadcast more advertising than they are allowed to and don't pay taxes," added Serfati.

Community radio stations are permitted 5 minutes of advertising each hour. In a nod to local development, no more than half the ads can promote companies that don't operate within the station's respective "community."

Private radio owners also complain that many community stations violate a rule demanding they "abstain from transmitting partisan or propaganda messages" and "avoid discrimination due to political beliefs."

"They constantly talk about the marvels of Chavez's revolution," said Alejandro Hiduera, owner of the Radio Reloj AM-FM station in western Zulia state.

It's unclear how many community stations exist. Conatel, Venezuela's telecommunications agency, says 13 have been licensed. The National Association of Free and Alternative Community Radio says there are 23. Jordan claims there are more than 130.

Carles denies his station receives government money, as private media owners claim. Makeshift studio microphones, beat-up amplifiers and frayed cables appear to support his claim.

"Communication is a right of all individuals, not a business for a privileged few," said Carles.