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International Freedom of Expression eXchange Clearing House
________________________________________________________________
Date: 8 February 1996

LEBANON: Concerns over plan to regulate broadcasting

ORIGINATOR: Reporters sans frontieres (RSF), Paris

On 7 February 1996, the Lebanese government adopted a plan to
regulate broadcasting. The measures will drastically reduce the
number of radio and television stations permitted to operate in
the country. According to RSF, Lebanon is currently the only Arab
country to enjoy true diversity in the field of broadcasting,
with over 150 radio and about 50 television stations broadcasting
on a daily basis. Under the terms of the new proposal, only
approximately twelve radio and six television stations would be
authorised to broadcast -- in other words, barely 10% of the
number currently on air. The regulations therefore condemn almost
all of Lebanon's radio and television stations to stop
broadcasting, which would mean massive restrictions on the
freedom and plurality that Lebanon currently enjoys.

The six television channels reportedly slated to receive licenses
are: Tele-Liban, currently the public broadcaster; the Lebanese
Broadcasting Company (LBC), which belonged to the Lebanese
Forces; Murr TV (MTV), owned by the brother of Deputy Prime
Minister Michel Murr; Future TV, owned by Prime Minister Rafic
Hariri; Al-Manar TV, which belongs to Hezbollah; and NBN, a
proposed channel sponsored by the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih
Berry.

According to RSF, the new regulations are even more worrisome, as
they appear to be the result of a compromise between the various
power axes in Lebanon, in complete contradiction with the spirit
of reconciliation that has prevailed since the end of the war in
1989.

BACKGROUND:
It is the second government proposal within two years which
attempts to restrict media freedom. In 1994, Lebanese radio and
television stations stopped news broadcasts after a government
ban on "political programmes." It was only after a heated battle
in Parliament that news programming resumed.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Send appeals to Lebanese authorities:
-asking that they do everything in their power to revise the
current version of these proposals in such a way as to respect
diversity, the right to information and freedom of the press in
Lebanon

APPEALS TO:

Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri
Serail
Rue des arts et metiers
Sanayeh
Beirut, Lebanon

c/o the Lebanese diplomatic representative in your country

(in Canada)
Embassy of the Lebanese Republic
640 Lyon Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1S 3Z5 Canada
Fax: +1 613 232 1609

Please copy appeals to the originator if possible.

For further information, contact Djallal Malti or Manuel
Jardinaud at RSF, 5, rue Geoffroy Marie, Paris 75009, France,
tel:+33 1 44 83 84 84, fax:+33 1 45 23 11 51, e-mail:
rsf@calvanet.calvacom.fr.

The information contained in this alert is the sole
responsibility of its originator.
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Forwarded by:
______________________________________________________________
   Association mondiale des radiodiffuseurs communautaires
      World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters
          Asociacion mundial de radios comunitarias
3575 Blvd. St. Laurent, Suite 704     Email: amarc@web.apc.org
Montreal, Quebec                         Tel: (1-514) 982-0351
CANADA  H2X 2T7                          Fax: (1-514) 849-7129
http://www.web.apc.org/amarc
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