The manager of Radio La Mega pulled the plug on "La Voz del Pueblo" after its hosts criticised the mayor's administration.
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 8 April 2010, Radio La Mega program “La Voz del Pueblo”, directed and hosted by journalists Javier Arnao and Freddy Guevara, was taken off the air by the station’s manager, José Alfredo Sánchez, in the middle of the program. The incident took place in the city of Ica, in the Ica region, southern Peru.
The journalists reported that the program was taken off the air because it voiced criticisms of mayor Mariano Nacimiento’s administration Guevara and Arnao pointed out to IPYS that they were hosting their program when they received a call from the manager, who ordered them not to talk about the mayor. He said that the municipality is an important source of advertising revenue for the radio station and that this relationship would be damaged by the journalists’ comments.
The journalists refused to comply with Sánchez’s request and pointed out that their program was independent. A few minutes after they reported that the station manager was pressuring them, the program’s transmission was cut.
IPYS protests the arbitrary act against “La Voz del Pueblo” and believes it amounts to an attempt against the freedom of expression and opinion. IPYS also reminds media owners that the press should not be subject to political or economic pressure of any kind.
