Khunying Dhipavadee Meksawan, the PM's Office minister, suggested that iTV temporarily suspend its programming tomorrow, to ensure a smooth transfer of the station's assets to the department.

The troubled channel may only be allowed to resume broadcasts once the government department has completed its take-over.

iTV is expected to end up being put under the supervision of MCOT, another state-controlled broadcaster.

Staff called on the PM's Office yesterday to review its plans, saying a blackout would irreparably hurt the station's business and journalistic reputation.

They said that if the station was closed it would be difficult to restart because programmes and commercials were prepared well in advance.

iTV has reached a dead-end. Tomorrow it is scheduled to pay Bt2.2 billion in concession fees to the government.

Moreover, it owes the PM's Office about Bt100 billion in fines and fees arising from the revisions it made to its programmes without properly notifying the authorities.

It is 100-per-cent certain now that iTV will not be able to pay up. This will set the stage for the PM's Office, which awarded the broadcast licence to iTV, to step in to take control.

The department will present two major proposals to the Cabinet today. These are to suspend the concession to iTV on the grounds that the contract was breached and to grant the department the right to take control of the broadcaster's frequency.

The PM's Office will then have to hold debt talks with iTV.

As one of the creditors, the PM's Office will have to secure its rights and then make sure that the transfer of equipment and other assets is smooth and relevant to the accounting books.

The contentious legal issue is how the administration will handle iTV after it takes over editorial control. iTV was created as part of the public's so-called 'right to know', to grant people information in the aftermath of the 1992 violence. The woeful failure of radio and television to truthfully report on the suppression of street demonstrations led to the channel's birth.

However, iTV's record shows it is far from the truly independent broadcaster envisioned.

The channel lost its independent voice, particularly after the Shin Corporation took over the reins, and it followed the Thaksin government's line ever since, like all other TV stations. Now the PM's Office and the Surayud government do not seem to have a strategy to end the iTV saga. For the time being they would like MCOT to supervise the channel. The broadcasting watchdog could also inject Bt400 million into iTV to keep its operation moving but what will happen if iTV continues to make a loss?

As the channel is about to be nationalised, this must be a temporary solution. The government should not enter the business of running a television station again.

A way out is for the authorities to turn iTV back into a private operation as quickly as possible, so this time iTV may be able to live up to the lofty expectations envisioned at its conception.

The Political Desk

The Nation