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Reporter's Notebook: Ron Smith

Goings on in the Bolivarian Republic

Posted by Ron Smith - January 9, 2005 at 12:04 pm
Greetings, Narconewsians, from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Right now, I´m watching Alo Presidente on the TV, broadcasting for the first time in 6 weeks from their new studio. It seems like quite a bit has changed. For example, the new studio is very fancy, all wood, complete with the usual props, globe, desk, etc. but now with a phone bank for callers. What does this mean for Alo Presidente? With this kind of arrangment, it signifies some major changes. First of all, it seems rather difficult for the on-location broadcasts of the past, from places like 23 de enero. Secondly, calls are now ¨processed¨ through the phone bank. These changes may seem insignificant, but they suggest a distancing from the previous will to involve the people directly in the process.

Also of interest is the recent change in the public television system. Blanca Eekhout Gomez, previously head of the experimental channel Vive, which was intended to be the basis for Telesur, has now been moved to be the new head of Venezolana de Television. Venezolana de Television is the state television station, and has been around for more than 4 decades. What remains to be seen is who will become the head of Vive, this will decide the future of the station, whether it will continue to grow and become a real alternative to the rather calcified model of VTV, or whether it will be coopted and suffer the miserable fate of irrelevance. I certainly hope for the former.

I'd also like to say that thanks to fellow narconewser Gerardo Rojas, I had a bit of a tour of the State of Lara, and Barqusimeto. There are major happenings in Barquisimeto, and the grassroots character of the revolution in Barquisimeto cannot be ignored. I believe that the grassroots form of organization in Barquisimeto is the best response to criticism of the top-down structure of the Bolivarian Revolution.

In Lara you have cooperatives and collectives that have functioned for 20 years, that have just been strengthened by the government of Chavez. These organizations include the community media system, true authentic media, one of which close to Barquisimeto is run by the youth of the community. In this station, no board operator can be more than 18 years old. What the Bolivarian Revolution appears to need is to acknowledge these forms of organization, and bring them closer in to the fold, offer them the support they need to be the real base of the Revolution.

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Comments

On Blanca Eekhout as New Chief of Channel 8

Submitted January 9, 2005 - 12:33 pm by Al Giordano
Ron writes:

Blanca Eekhout Gomez, previously head of the experimental channel Vive, which was intended to be the basis for Telesur, has now been moved to be the new head of Venezolana de Television. Venezolana de Television is the state television station, and has been around for more than 4 decades. What remains to be seen is who will become the head of Vive, this will decide the future of the station, whether it will continue to grow and become a real alternative to the rather calcified model of VTV, or whether it will be coopted and suffer the miserable fate of irrelevance. I certainly hope for the former.

I comment:

Blanca is known to many of our readers and J-School alumni and faculty as a graduate of the Narco News School of Authentic Journalism. She spent 10 days with us on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula in 2003, when whe was a volunteer with Community Broadcaster Catia TV, in a popular neighborhood of Caracas.

The loss of Blanca from directing Vive TV, as Ron notes, presents challenges for that fledgling media with continental potential.

But, I have to say, I'm thrilled with the move, which constitutes a promotion of Blanca - an Authentic Journalist and Revolutionary (and a good friend) - to lead the most widely viewed television station in Venezuela. It would be as if Ron Smith or Andrea Hawes were suddenly tapped to lead PBS in the United States (only more significant, since VTV - Channel 8 - has a much wider per capita viewership than Public Broadcasting stations in other lands).

Felicidades a Blanca y todo el equipo narconusista venezolano!

Change in Vive

Submitted January 14, 2005 - 4:40 pm by Ron Smith
While I'm certainly flattered by the comparison, I do think at least in some way the analogy is accurate. Perhaps you can write this off to pessimism, but if I or any other authentic producer (hats off to Andrea) were to be magically spirited to the top of PBS, we might find ourselves in a similar quagmire, as we have excellent intentions and credentials, but we would be fighting 40 plus years of bureaucracy. I´m not dissing VTV; especially not those that came through after the coup, but I am saying that changing an organization is much more difficult than replacing the head, I should know, I worked for such an organization as it burned through 5 Executive Directors. I congratulate Blanca on her new position, I hope she makes VTV what it really can be, and I hope her successor at Vive continues the process.

On a similar note, apparently President Hugo Chavez has announced a war on Latifundismo, with one of the states targeted none other than Nueva Esparta, AKA Isla de Margarita! Good Show, Mr President, I´ll drink a cocada to that, or maybe something stronger. I think now too, I have a deeper understanding of the big Leys that have been passed, all an attempt to break away from dependency and make Venezuela a little closer to food independence. Ley de Tierras helps the local agricultural sector, in a real way not by helping multinationals, Ley de Pescas makes fish harvesting by small producers help end the need for importation. Again, brilliant, all the while helping change Venezuelas dismal imbalance of wealth. I also saw today that a major paper factory was reopened by the national assembly to answer the demands of the fired workers.

Finally, a more sobering thought. Indymedia Puerto Rico reports an indigenous protest against Coal mining on traditional lands in Zulia. I worry deeply that Venezuela may be walking down the path that created enemies for the Sandinistas of the Miskito people. Perhaps I may be jumping the gun, but this worries me.

Links and more when I get back!

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