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Philippines orders its largest broadcaster off the air as nation fights virus
Hat tip, Wikipedia. The story was in their "In the news" category on the Main Page.
ABS-CBN franchise renewal controversy
The ABS-CBN franchise renewal controversy concerns the non-renewal of the congressional franchise of the Philippine broadcast network ABS-CBN, one of the country's oldest and most influential media networks. This led to the congressional franchise expiring on May 4, 2020, and the network being forced to temporarily stop its broadcast on May 5, 2020, after the Philippines' National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued a cease-and-desist order related to the expiration of the franchise.
The ABS-CBN franchise renewal controversy concerns the non-renewal of the congressional franchise of the Philippine broadcast network ABS-CBN, one of the country's oldest and most influential media networks. This led to the congressional franchise expiring on May 4, 2020, and the network being forced to temporarily stop its broadcast on May 5, 2020, after the Philippines' National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued a cease-and-desist order related to the expiration of the franchise.
Asia & Pacific
Philippines orders its largest broadcaster off the air as nation fights virus
By Regine Cabato
May 5, 2020 at 9:18 a.m. EDT
MANILA — The Philippine government on Tuesday ordered the country's largest broadcasting network to halt operations, a blow to press freedom and the flow of information in the middle of a pandemic.
Media giant ABS-CBN signed off after its evening news broadcast, leaving the screens of millions of viewers black and the jobs of 11,000 employees in jeopardy.
A cease-and-desist order was issued by the National Telecommunications Commission earlier Tuesday, affecting television and radio operations. ABS-CBN’s cable news channel and digital operations will continue, albeit with a limited reach.
President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly threatened to close down the network in the past. His office denied that he had a hand in the order, saying the decision was entirely up to the commission.
“ABS-CBN is free to exhaust all legal remedies available to it,” said presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. Duterte “accepted the apology of the network and left its fate to both houses of Congress,” he added.
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“It sends a clear message: What Duterte wants, Duterte gets,” the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said in a statement. “And it is clear, with this brazen move to shut down ABS-CBN, that he intends to silence the critical media and intimidate everyone else into submission.”
{snip}
Regine Cabato
Regine Cabato is the Manila reporter for The Washington Post Southeast Asia Bureau. Before joining The Post in 2018, she worked as a writer for broadcast and digital platforms at CNN Philippines. Follow https://twitter.com/RegineCabato
Philippines orders its largest broadcaster off the air as nation fights virus
By Regine Cabato
May 5, 2020 at 9:18 a.m. EDT
MANILA — The Philippine government on Tuesday ordered the country's largest broadcasting network to halt operations, a blow to press freedom and the flow of information in the middle of a pandemic.
Media giant ABS-CBN signed off after its evening news broadcast, leaving the screens of millions of viewers black and the jobs of 11,000 employees in jeopardy.
A cease-and-desist order was issued by the National Telecommunications Commission earlier Tuesday, affecting television and radio operations. ABS-CBN’s cable news channel and digital operations will continue, albeit with a limited reach.
President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly threatened to close down the network in the past. His office denied that he had a hand in the order, saying the decision was entirely up to the commission.
“ABS-CBN is free to exhaust all legal remedies available to it,” said presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. Duterte “accepted the apology of the network and left its fate to both houses of Congress,” he added.
{snip}
NTC issues cease and desist order against ABS-CBN
#ABSCBNFranchise
Link to tweet
{snip}
“It sends a clear message: What Duterte wants, Duterte gets,” the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said in a statement. “And it is clear, with this brazen move to shut down ABS-CBN, that he intends to silence the critical media and intimidate everyone else into submission.”
{snip}
Regine Cabato
Regine Cabato is the Manila reporter for The Washington Post Southeast Asia Bureau. Before joining The Post in 2018, she worked as a writer for broadcast and digital platforms at CNN Philippines. Follow https://twitter.com/RegineCabato
