Thai Public Broadcasting Service

The Thai Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS or Thai PBS) is a public television station in Thailand.Broadcasting for UHF Channel 29 The station was established according to the Public Broadcasting Service Act, which came into effect on January 14, 2008. The station is broadcasting on a frequency formerly held by the privately-run channel, iTV. Programming started airing on February 1, 2008.

History

The iTV years

Discussion of a public television station in Thailand began in the aftermath of the "Bloody May" crackdown on anti-government protests in 1992, in which the need was expressed for a TV station that would broadcast news and information free from state intervention. The resulting public debate give rise to iTV, a privately owned channel run which started broadcasting in 1995 under a 30-year state concession. According to the covenant, iTV had to include news and information no less than 70% of its total airtime. However, this pressing condition made it difficult for iTV to sustain as a for-profit business entity because, with the program structure dominated with news and information, the station hardly met its revenue target. Soon after the 1997 economic crisis in which Thailand was harshly hit, iTV underwent massive debt restructuring. Nation Multimedia Group, a major news and publishing company and shareholder, pulled out and was replaced by Shin Corporation, a telecommunications conglomerate owned by the family of Thaksin Shinawatra, who was elected prime minister in 2000.

Under Shin Corporation, iTV was granted permission by an arbitration panel to increase the amount of entertainment programming and pay a significantly reduced amount of annual licensing fee in 2004. The case was contested in Thailand's Central Administrative Court, but iTV restructured its programming anyway to include more entertainment programs and less news. This move was criticized as an act against its original spirit of public news station. [cite web|url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/06/21/headlines/headlines_30006967.php|title=Time to give iTV back to people|publisher="The Nation"|date=Jun. 21, 2006|accessdate=2008-02-04] iTV was also harshly criticized for its biased coverage in favor of Thaksin government, particularly when the government encountered fierce public scrutiny surrounding the sales of Shin Corporation to Temasek Holdings and its aftermath which eventually led to the 2006 Thai coup d'état. [cite web|url=http://www.irrawaddymedia.com/article.php?art_id=9757|title=Military-controlled TV Station Blocks Thaksin Interview|publisher="Irrawaddy Online"|date=Dec. 28, 2007|accessdate=2008-02-04]

iTV becomes TITV

In June 2006, the Administrative Court ruled that iTV's move to change its programming structure run against conditions stated in the covenant and ruled that iTV pay fines and reduced concession fee illegitimately granted by the arbitration panel amounting to 94 billion Baht. [cite web|url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/11/07/headlines/headlines_30018273.php|title=Govt to seek iTV fine of Bt94 bn|publisher="The Nation"|date=Nov. 7, 2006|accessdate=2008-02-04] The ruling practically put iTV into bankruptcy. The concession was later repealed and iTV and its airwave were returned to state possession during the Surayud administration, which renamed the station TITV, but continued programming provided by the former iTV.

Creation of TPBS

The Surayud administration formed a task force headed by Somkiat Tangkijvanich to conduct a possibility study to transform iTV into a fully public-financed television station. This effort resulted in the proposal of Public Broadcasting Service Act, in which legal measures were put in place to protect the new TV station against both political and commercial influence. According to this PBS Act, the new public TV station, coined TPBS (Thai Public Broadcasting Service), receives financial support derived from sin taxes to ensure its financial independence and to protect itself agains any possible business links. [http://www.thaipbs.or.th/images/stories/download/tpbs_act.pdf Public Broadcasting Service Act] th icon] The orgainization is designed such that autonomy and immunity to any intervention from politicians or state power are ensured. The required establishment of "Viewers Committee" would also help guarantee accountability and the quality of programs that reflects demands from viewers.

The creation of TPBS was controversial, because it displaced the privately-run iTV. [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gotffBDyrMZgwDD7YwTLuj80Mz_Q Thailand replaces programmes on private TV channel] , Agence France-Presse, January 14, 2008; retrieved via Google News 2008-01-25] [http://pages.citebite.com/j1w5g4b9qwrm Public TV channel launched] , "Bangkok Post", January 15, 2008; retrieved from cache 2008-01-25] The announcement that iTV was to be shut down and replaced by the commercial-free TPBS in accordance with the Public Broadcasting Service Act was made with no prior announcement. Approximately 800 employees of the former TITV were uncertain of their jobs.

All of TITV's old programming was pulled from the air and, during a two-week interim period, programming was provided by the Public Relations Department's Television of Thailand, and mainly consisted of tributes to Princess Galyani Vadhana, who had died on January 2, 2008. [http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/01/15/headlines/headlines_30062252.php Rocky start for TITV] , "The Nation (Thailand)", January 15, 2008; retrieved 2008-01-25]

Broadcasting commences

New programming by TPBS commenced on February 1, 2008, consisting of documentaries and children's programs, commissioned by the Public Relations Department. Broadcast hours were originally from [http://www.thaipbs.or.th/images/stories/Feb(1-14).pdf 5:00 a.m.] to midnight daily. with five to six hours of news programs. [http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/01/25/headlines/headlines_30063388.php TPBS news to air on Feb 15] , "The Nation (Thailand)", January 25, 2008; retrieved 2008-01-25]

Most of the production staff for TPBS has come from the ranks of former iTV/TITV crew. The status of around 300 for iTV/TITV journalists has been uncertain.

ee also

*List of television stations in Thailand
*Media of Thailand

References

External links

* [http://www.thaipbs.or.th/ Official website] th icon
* [http://www.prd.go.th/index.html Public Relations Department] th icon