(IPI/IFEX) – The following letter is a reply from Independent Television Commission (ITC) spokesperson Peter B. Rogers to IPI’s recent letter expressing concern regarding the suspension of Med TV: **Updates IFEX alerts of 2 April and 30 March 1999** Dear Mr. Fritz MED TV Thank you for letting us know views in the ITC’s actions […]
(IPI/IFEX) – The following letter is a reply from Independent Television
Commission (ITC) spokesperson Peter B. Rogers to IPI’s recent letter
expressing concern regarding the suspension of Med TV:
**Updates IFEX alerts of 2 April and 30 March 1999**
Dear Mr. Fritz
MED TV
Thank you for letting us know views in the ITC’s actions in relation to Med
TV. I can assure you that the ITC is fully aware of the role that Med TV has
played in Kurdish life during its four years of transmission under an ITC
licence. The ITC’s licensing policy has always been to encourage a wide
range of views to find expression, but always within the terms of the
Broadcasting Act and the ITC’s licence and Codes. Unfortunately there has,
in this case, been a history of incidence which have led the Commission to
take action against Med TV on the grounds of a failure to ensure due
impartiality in news broadcasts, and incitement to violence being broadcast
within the service. I should add that Med TV accepts that some of its recent
programmes were likely to incite violence and were consequently in breach of
the Code.
I attach a copy of the ITC News Release published on 22 March [see appendix]
which explains the reasons for the Commission’s decision to suspend the
service and summarises the regulatory history of Med TV. As envisaged in the
first paragraph Med TV have sought to make representations to the ITC and a
special meeting of the Commission has been convened for that purpose.
Yours sincerely
Peter B. Rogers
Appendix
ITC ISSUES SUSPENSION ORDER
The ITC today (22 March 1999) announced that it had suspended for a period
of 21 days the satellite television service licence of Med Broadcasting Ltd
(Med TV). Med TV have been informed that they are entitled to make
representations within 21 days. At the end of that period, and having regard
to the representations made, the ITC must decide whether or not to revoke
Med TV’s licence.
The Commission has taken this action under powers given by the Parliament in
Section 89 of the 1996 Broadcasting Act which oblige the Commission to serve
a notice of suspension if a licence holder has included in its service one
or more programmes containing material likely to encourage or incite to
crime or to lead to disorder of a nature sufficient to justify revocation.
The Commission considers that several broadcasts by Med TV have clearly
contained such material. In relation to one of these broadcasts in
particular, Med TV accepts that it breached its licence and the Code. The
broadcasts in question contain various calls to carry out acts of violence
in Turkey.
The Commission must now consider any representation from Med TV before
deciding whether they are satisfied that it is necessary in the public
interest to revoke the licence.
Notes to Editors
1. Med TV has previously received two formal warnings from the ITC for
breaches of the Programme Code: in November 1996 (for two breaches relating
to due impartiality) and in March 1998 (for a breach relating to incitement
to crime). There was also an upheld complaint for a due impartiality Code
breach in March 1996. In January 1998, financial penalties totalling £90,000
were imposed upon Med TV for three serious breaches of the impartiality
requirements of the Code (see ITC News Release 30 January 1998).
2. In November 1998, the ITC issued a notice to Med TV that its licence
would be revoked if, over the following six months, its service failed to
comply with the terms of its licence and the Programme Code. The notice
required Med TV to take certain steps to ensure full compliance (see ITC
News Release 23 November 1998). This followed breaches of the Code relating
to due impartiality and condoning violent behaviour.
3. For details of individual breaches of the ITC Programme Code, see
Programme Complaints and Interventions Reports April 1996, November 1996,
February/March 1998, and October/November 1998. All are available on the ITC
website, www.itc.org.uk or from the ITC information office, as are the ITC
News Releases.
d. Section 89 of the 1996 Broadcasting Act introduces a new section, 45A,
into the Broadcasting Act 1990 which gives specific powers to the ITC to
suspend a licence to provide a satellite television service if the
Commission is satisfied that the holder of the licence has included in the
service one or more programmes containing material likely to encourage or
incite to crime or to lead to disorder; that the holder has failed to comply
with a condition in the licence and that the failure is such as to justify
the revocation of the licence.
e. Section 6 of the Broadcasting Act 1990 requires the ITC to ensure that
programmes do not include material which “is likely to encourage or incite
to crime or to lead to disorder”. The ITC’S Programme Code reflects this
requirement in Section 5 of the Code and it applies to the advocacy of
violence or other criminal activity within or outside the UK.
