Caracas Chronicles

Two weeks after Maracaibo’s Global TV lost its cable TV access by order of CONATEL,  its director Guido Briceño gave a press conference to explain what’s been going on.

Briceño said that even though the channel is still free-to-air in Zulia State, the station says it’s had to reduce spending in order to protect its workers’ stability.

Briceño added they may need to do “a technical-administrative review” in the near future. What exactly that means is hazy, but it doesn’t sound good, does it?

He hinted that some people close to the government have warned him about a either a cancellation of the channel’s broadcasting license or a possible offer to buy the station by HegemonCorp. Last week, he insisted in a press interview that Global TV “is not for sale” and complained about “…(legal) decisions being taken based only on the basis of gossip”.

So far, there has been no response from either the broadcasting authority or the cable TV companies to explain why Global TV was dropped from their grids. Briceño still expects a future meeting with the regional head of CONATEL to find a solution. But perhaps he’s being too optimistic, as the other regional channel also dropped by CONATEL from cable and satellite TV months ago is still waiting to get their own slot back.

The entire media landscape in Zulia State has changed drastically in the last few years thanks to the communicational hegemony and a possible change in Global TV’s status would be just the last domino. Just like Telecolor (previously Globovision-Zulia), just like Tele N (now State-owned Coquivacoa TV), just like ZuVision (now Aventura TV, part of HegemonCorp.) and even like URBE TV were all forced to.

In the end, Global TV is about to find out that it’s the Hegemon’s Way or the Highway.

UPDATE: The “technical-administrative review” came earlier than expected. The news department of Global TV was shut down on Friday and its seven members were laid off.