Venezuela: Reasons for a Historic Move
Several violations and sanctions, as well as constitutional and legal factors, underpin the decision of the Venezuelan government of not granting today the concession for private Radio Caracas Television (RCTV) channel to use radioelectric space.

For 53 years, RCTV enjoyed the exploitation of channel 2 of the country's air transmission spectrum, a concession expiring today, without any chance of renewal, according to authorities.

The official determination was even further as to hand over the frequency to a new public service station, Venezuela's Social Television (Televisora Venezolana Social, TEVES).

This will enhance plurality, with a message aimed at the citizen, and not the consumer, according to Communication Minister Jesse Chacon.

According to reports from the Ministry of Telecommunications, in the last 30 years RCTV was subject to several proceedings for unfair practices (2003, 2004, 2005) and infractions.

They include sanctions of temporal broadcast closure, applied under previous governments (1976, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1989 and 1991).

But the darkest page of its record was written in April 2002, when RCTV management cut its daily programs to support the coup against President Hugo Chavez and his democratically elected government.

Everybody remembers here that the channel took part in what was considered the world's first media coup, preventing reporters from broadcasting information on the failed coup attempt.

It later played a leading role against the government during the long oil strike which strangled the country.

To determine not extending permission to RCTV, authorities rely, legally and constitutionally, on the principle that places radioelectric space as a public, not a private heritage.