2024-03-23 03:01:00
The government of Javier Milei advances in the emptying of Public TV. The authorities of the state channel announced that from next month live programming will be liftedturning the screen into a channel without its own new production, and full of canned goods already issued. Officially, it has already been reported that three daily grid programs will end at the end of the monthamong them the gastronomic magazine Argentine chefs, which had been on the air for 15 uninterrupted years, was the channel’s most watched cycle and the one that performed best commercially. Besides, Page 12 was able to confirm with the authorities that the news area will suffer a strong cut: the daily first morning and midnight newscasts will be lifted, as well as all weekend newscasts. In the assembly, the Public TV workers denounced “that never in our history have we experienced the levels of censorship as at this stage.”
The situation of public media is critical. The Milei government’s decision to “privatize” them is advancing on all fronts. If the first step was to put the sale on the agenda as a certain possibility, the second stage has already begun: cutting them to their minimum expression. For that, The strategy of “turning them off” is added to the definancing planremoving content so that they are uncompetitive and thus (self-)creating the conditions for their “auction”.
The latest news from Public TV is proof that the institutional design was built around that idea. What was officially known is that on March 31 the broadcasts of three live programs broadcast on the channel end: Argentine chefs, At home y More of you. Instead, the director of Public TV, Juan Parodi, will not program other new cycles of its own production but rather repetitions of old cycles. The cutback, then, does not seem to rest by stimulating creativity, but rather by pure “chainsaw,” as the President of the Nation likes to shout from the rooftops. “All decisions are due to budget cuts; There are no other reasons,” they clarified from the current management of the state channel.
The uprising of Argentine chefs (Monday to Friday at 2pm) is the one that caught the most attention. The thing is The cooking series hosted by Juan Bracelli, Narda Lepes, Karina Gao and Ximena Sáenz was one of the longest running on screen: It premiered in 2009 and with a federal proposal – which exercised national and regional identity, as well as healthy food – it became the channel’s most watched daily program. Even, over time, he managed to build a virtuous circle that combined a quality and entertaining proposal, a good audience and abundant business income, which are distributed between the Kapow production company and the state broadcaster. A combo that allowed him to overcome changes in governments and administrations without problems. Until, of course, the arrival of La Libertad Avanza.
The other two live cycles that will not continue from April are two programs that have little experience. At home (Monday to Friday 10.30) is a service proposal led by Natalia Paratore, Gabriela Previtera and Germán Berghmans, about healthy living, sports, Argentine tourism and relaxation. For its part, More of you (Monday to Friday at 4 p.m.) is a program that, led by Daniela Nirenberg and Juan Ballesterosdiscovers life stories of people from different fields who daily make significant contributions to social life and their disciplines.
The “chainsaw” will also pass with great force through the news area of the channel, in charge of Fabian Gijon (former producer of Jotax, Juan Cruz Avila’s production company). Starting in April, access to information will be further curtailed for all the country’s inhabitants. On weekdays, Public Television News It will stop having four daily editions and will have only two: both the first morning newscast (6.30) and the midnight newscast will be lifted. Only the midday (12th) and central (19th) editions will continue, lasting an hour and a half. In addition, the broadcasts of the 7:00 p.m. news on Saturday and Sunday will not continue either. With this decision, which the Macri administration had also implemented, the “information blackout” on the public channel it will be from 8:30 p.m. on Friday until 12 noon on Monday. Everything that happens in the country and in the world during Saturday and Sunday will not have news coverage.
In addition, the authorities made the decision to no longer pay “overtime,” which for many news workers at the station means a good part of their income. The newscasts will be made entirely by the channel’s staff, although – some sources from the channel announced – current contracts will be respected, which will not be renewed once they expire.
The budget cut will not be limited to the lifting of some editions of the newscasts: Page 12 could confirm that On holidays, Public TV will not broadcast any newscasts. Coincidence or not, This measure will begin to be applied from this Sunday, just when a new anniversary of the last coup d’état is commemorated.a massive popular mobilization is expected and the government vindicates the actions of the Armed Forces during the dictatorship.
On the other hand, the Assembly of Public Television Press Workers (Sipreba) issued a strong statement, in which they denounced “that Never in our history have we experienced the levels of censorship as in this stage”. “During other political stages, with efforts that responded to different governments in power, we have had differences, criticisms and even public complaints, which can be easily accessed on the internet. In no case was there a level of censorship as grotesque as in this one. An example fits to illustrate it: In the broadcast of the opening of sessions on March 1st on the national network, only pro-government legislators were shown, in a paradox built based on short shots to cover the sun with the hand; since La Libertad Avanza has a notable minority in parliament.”
In the text, in which they hold the new news manager, Fabián Gijón and the channel director, Juan Parodi, responsible for what happens within the framework of the intervention of Diego Chaerlist some facts of censorship. “No voice is allowed to be aired that questions official policies or criticizes President Javier Milei.”. “The statements of Ignacio Torres, governor of Chubut and its Minister of Economy, were prevented from airing during the dispute with the national government.” “The voice of the Buenos Aires governor Axel Kicillof was prevented from being heard during the opening of ordinary sessions when he referred to the policies of the national government.” “They do not allow the sending of teams to cover important events in the rest of the country, such as the serious floods that are currently affecting the Entre Ríos towns of Gualeguay and Gualeguaychú.” “You cannot give a voice to those who, according to the news manager, are part of ‘the caste’”; When asked who the caste was, he mentioned Pablo Moyano, Eduardo Beliboni and Sergio Palazzo.” “Coverage and any mention of the closure of the Télam Agency was prevented” and “the same thing happened with the act in defense of INCAA that took place at the door of the Gaumont Cinema, which included numerous cultural personalities and which ended with repression, also made invisible.” “They lowered the column on native peoples.” “They ordered several notes and columns of the newscast to be downloaded from the Public TV website.”