TELESUR
A
BROADCAST ALTERNATIVE FOR THE AMERICAS
TeleSUR,
Television of the South, is the
first TV network created with the explicit purpose of featuring diverse
programming that is produced by and for Latin Americans. Founded in 2005 by Argentina, Cuba,
Uruguay, and Venezuela, and subsequently joined by Bolivia and Nicaragua, the
network provides audiences in Latin America with a much-needed space for debate
and exchange of ideas through 24-hour programming that reflects the diversity
of Latin American society. Daily
broadcast schedules include news programs, sports, historical documentaries,
debates, interviews, and cultural shows.
As of August 2007, TeleSUR
had regional offices in Caracas, Bogotá, Brasilia, Buenos Aires, Mexico City,
Havana, La Paz, Lima, Quito, Managua and Washington DC, as well as a large
network of associates throughout the Western Hemisphere. This makes TeleSUR the network with the
biggest news-gathering capacity in Latin America, and allows for broad
coverage; TeleSUR currently has a potential audience of over 86 million people.
Financed with an initial $10 million by
the founding governments, TeleSUR now offers programming in 20 countries
throughout Latin America, and in the U.S. and Europe via satellite broadcast.
TeleSUR programming can also be streamed live over the internet by viewers
worldwide.[i]
According to Andres
Izarra, President of TeleSUR, the
station's aim is
“to advance
integration while portraying Latin Americans as we see ourselves”
through the production
and diffusion of content sourced in the region.[ii]
A REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE
TeleSUR was created to reduce Latin
America's dependence on foreign news sources and to provide representation for
diverse local perspectives on issues relevant within the region. TeleSUR Director Aram Aharonian has
emphasized the uniqueness of the broadcaster, saying: “Telesur is the first
Latin American experience in mass television. We have always been seen through
foreign eyes. From the North, they only see us in black and white … We are a
very diverse and plural region; we need to see ourselves in our own way."[iii]
Regional integration is at the heart
of TeleSUR, which seeks to unite Latin American audiences and foster greater
self-awareness, while building links between communications industries in the
region and those in other parts of the world. Eugenio
Bucci, Director of TV Brasil, has said that "we see TeleSUR as having a sister
relationship with us…. Anything that is aimed at informing South Americans about
South America is a sister initiative."[iv] He also emphasized that "what is new is
not just this television project, but an overall process of integration among
the countries."[v]
TeleSUR has
been described as a wholly Latin American alternative to CNN that goes one step
further by providing programming that covers "all themes that have something to do with
life in Latin America. Economics, politics, social affairs, culture, history,
sports – it is much broader than just news."[vi]
Ownership Structure of TeleSUR
Source:
TeleSUR Office of International Agreements, August 2007
DEMOCRATIZING THE MEDIA
As media ownership has
become more concentrated and outlets for the expression of diverse viewpoints
progressively fewer, Venezuela has emerged as a leader in the effort to make
more voices heard. TeleSUR is part of a
larger, regional effort to democratize the media, because it operates as a
non-commercial source of reporting on Latin American issues. TeleSUR also features the work of
independent producers and directors from the region.
Journalists and
communications experts in the U.S. have lauded TeleSUR's contribution to creating a more pluralistic media by
disseminating news from a Latin America-focused perspective. John Dinges, Professor of Journalism at
Columbia University has affirmed, "I am in favor of initiatives that
created additional voices in the news…
Alternative looks at the facts can be positive." Of the value of
TeleSUR, Dinges added that "if it's being done in order to spread an
alternative journalistic voice, it will be good journalism and a
contribution."[vii]