Call for public TV station
Former iTV journalist Mallika Bunmeetrakool yesterday proposed the government turn the broadcaster into a public television station.
Mallika said the Prime Minister's Office - the department responsible for the nation's airwaves - should spend television concession fees and fines imposed on iTV to create a new public channel. The broadcaster had its licence revoked this past Tuesday after iTV - formerly controlled by Shin Corp - failed to pay more than Bt100 billion in fees and fines to the government. It has been renamed TITV and continues to broadcast under control of the Public Relations Department. The department is to receive Bt90 million from the government to cover immediate expenses. The government plans to reform TITV along with two other state-owned networks - Channel 9 and Channel 11 - following the formation of a national broadcasting regulatory body. Another option for TITV is to call for new private-sector bids from operators wanting to run it as an independent network.
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