Mediacheck

In Honduras, Ratings Zoom for Radio Watchdog

Radio Globo, raided by military and driven underground, is back on the air.

By Dawn Paley, 13 Dec 2009, TheTyee.ca

Honduras Military Radio Globo

In June soldiers shut down -- but failed to silence -- Radio Globo. Photo: Giorgio Trucchi -- Rel-UITA

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Running any kind of business during a coup d'état isn't an easy chore. Running a commercial radio station that speaks out against the military and the interruption of democracy in the eye of the storm is an even more daunting -- and dangerous -- task.

For the journalists at Radio Globo in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, the months since the June 28 coup d'état have meant death threats, raids by the armed forces, the destruction of transmitters, confiscation of equipment, and a presidential decree designed to shut them down for 22 days.

The station is on the second floor of a corner building on a busy street, just outside of the city's downtown core. It is bare other than basic amenities and a two room broadcasting studio. The smell of gasoline permeates the station, and two generators in the corner of the station manager's office are a reminder of the reoccurring electricity cuts imposed by the de facto government.

It wasn't always like this. The station, which celebrates its tenth anniversary today, started off as a music channel. After three years of 24/7 music and a low listenership, the station's managers decided to make a strategic shift towards what David Romero, the station's director, calls news that's "more linked to the people."

Everything changed on June 28, the day the nation was supposed to vote in a non-binding plebiscite to determine whether there was sufficient interest to begin investigating a public, participatory process of constitutional reform. A tug-of-war between the president, his supporters, the Supreme Court, congress and the army about the reform process was already underway, but few suspected that the outcome would be so harsh.

Warned, then raided by military

When David Romero, director of Radio Globo, arrived at the station at five in the morning for his daily morning show on June 28, he saw soldiers positioned outside the station.

"That caught my attention, and immediately what I thought was 'this is a coup d'etat,'" said Romero. The first thing he did after entering the station was check what his competition -- the other two corporate news channels in Honduras -- were reporting, and "they were not saying anything about the coup d'état," he said.

As a journalist with decades of experience under his belt, Romero knew he had to make a quick decision -- either report that the military was outside the station and something was amiss, or ignore it. "It took me about 30 or 40 seconds to make the decision. And the first thing I did was to announce that there was a in Honduras."

By noon, Romero received a call from an army spokesperson, warning him to "lower the pressure," and "tell the truth."

"So I said, look, colonel, we are telling the truth. There has been a coup d'état, and that's what we’re telling the world -- that there is a coup d'état, and the world already knows that," said Romero.

Later that evening, the military stormed the station, and began removing people from the building out into the street. Romero escaped through the back window. He was back on the air the next day -- but not before having been taken to the central army base in Tegucigalpa, where he was brought before army boss General Romero Vásquez Velásquez, who asked him to lower the profile of the station.

Attacks against station continue

Romero and his team of journalists didn't cave to the demands of the military. Instead they continued to air live coverage of the coup as it continued to unfold through the summer and into the fall. A handful of other national media followed suit, but they were in the minority.

The corporate media in Honduras got behind the coup and their backers, says Romero, because the journalists were encouraged to cover the events to serve the interests of station owners -- who are among the richest and most powerful members of Honduran society -- instead of serving the public interest.

The attacks against Radio Globo haven't stopped. In August, their transmitters were sabotaged, and in September, the military raided the station in conjunction with a suspension of constitutional rights and the imposition of a decree allowing the government to shut the station down.

"Decree 124-2009, a measure published in the official gazette on Oct. 7th, allows the authorities to suspend any programme or media 'fomenting social anarchy' -- and, without saying so openly, is targeted at those that oppose the coup," said Reporters without Borders in an Oct. 21 press release.

Radio Globo's journalists turned towards the web after their equipment was seized, launching a clandestine version of the station online which has seen more than one million listeners, including more than half a million people from outside Honduras. Radio Globo journalists were back on the air as soon as the decree was lifted. Reflecting on the period since the coup, Romero says it's been a struggle, but worth it.

Good for ratings

"If we hadn't reported on the coup right away, we'd be like the rest of the media here -- tranquil and trying to compete for second or third place," he said. Since June, the station has seen their market share rise from seven to 28 per cent. They've gone from relative obscurity to international acclaim for their work, winning a prestigious Spanish award for best radio station.

Most of all, says Romero, they've served the people of Honduras.

"We've always believed that Honduras needs profound changes, and that the oligarchy which has caused this country to be in a state of poverty that compares to that of Haiti can't keep running the country," he said. "And the radio took on that commitment." [Tyee]

Dawn Paley is a journalist from Vancouver who is reporting from Honduras.

17 Comments:

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  • Skywalker

    2 years ago

    Where are they all now?

    I can remember, without rereading the Tyee related stories on this coup in Honduras and all the comments,how the apologists for the Military dictators in charge justified their actions even so far as oppressing the free media. Now we know.

  • ME2

    2 years ago

    Request

    IMO, Tyee, the Honduras is an extremely important issue for our continent. Please keep up the coverage.

  • jnewcomb

    2 years ago

    Radio and media freedom

    Ex-president Zelaya was a tool of both Castro and of Chávez, and the government of Honduras constitutionally removed him. The Honduran military was there to keep "peace, order and good government".

    While censoring media is usually not something to be applauded, the Honduran civil authorities, including the military, did a remarkable job of not censoring more than necessary - in spite of the provocations and incitements to violence by some of Zelaya's supporters.

    However, the writer doesn't mention that Radio Globo has in fact self-censored its recent broadcasts according to RSF, probably because its Zelaya-funded lawyers told the station that they were clearly contravening civil authority.

    RSF's Honduras lable is one of "Noticeable problems" - hardly the scale of anti-democratic tragedy that has unfolded in Cuba over the last 50 years, which RSF classifies as a country with a "Very Serious Situation".

    Now, Tyee, rather than writing about surfing in Cuba, let your readers know how well the media is treated there!!

  • Skywalker

    2 years ago

    Did you really write this?

    "the military, did a remarkable job of not censoring more than necessary". Censorship is censorship is anti democratic it is suppression of truth. It is never voluntary. Voluntary censorship is a euphemism for "they were too bloody scared for their lives not to follow our suggestion". That is CENSORSHIP Period. It does not matter what the military junta, a tool of the rich elite, call it.

    "Not censoring more than necessary?" Is this for real?

  • jnewcomb

    2 years ago

    Re: Did you really write this?

    Censorship is practiced in our society and others in so many different ways, with various amounts of constraints.

    Censorship is not a categorial variable, but rather can be parsed into a varied number of facets. Left and right vaunt their own definition of alternative media that aren't "censored" ("indie" press, or Fraser Institute)

    Its not just the rich elites that do it, but rather it is an integral part to every class of society. The "manufacture of consent" happens all around us, all the time. Its not just Cuba and Venezuela do it, but also your own family and friends...

    However, if you were in Tegucigalpa and facing the issues that the provisional government faced, you would agree that in order to preserve the peace, while distasteful to the Honduran culture, strategic censorship would be necessary for a short term crisis.

    "Anti-democratic" should be applied to Zelaya and his minions who abrogated democratically-elected Congressional decisions demanding he NOT proceed to his "referendum". He then defied other institutions such as electoral courts, Supreme Courts, etc, etc.

    So, for the RSF, Hoduras' censorship problems are short-term and can be expected to quickly decreasep, but Cuba is a systemic case of totalitarian, long-term censorship that will need much more attention.

    I recommend the facebook group, "Cubanos denuncian a los chivatos y represores" to find out more about how benign Uncle Fidel and Cousin Raul are...

  • Skywalker

    2 years ago

    jnewcomb

    That is the sorriest rationalization of censorship I have read. You are trying to explain something as illogical as "being a little bit pregnant." There are no degrees of censorship.

  • jnewcomb

    2 years ago

    not pregnancy, but censorship

    What planet are you from? Of course there are degrees of censorship. Censorship isn't pregnancy. Its regulations or policy, written or unwritten. Canadian media appear to be "uncensored" in discussing political issues, but our CRTC-imposed "community standards" reduce the chances you'll hear radio commentators use slurs such as nigger, wop, kike, chink, fag, etc. Does this make our society better?

    Well, for peace and order in Honduras, they have censored their media for a period of time during a crisis. As the crisis abates, the censorship wanes.

    However, in Cuba, the crisis of communist dictatorship and censorship continue. Orwellian "1984" style, reporters in prisons, street-level repression of protesters, killings, beatings, etc.

  • roberb7

    2 years ago

    Where's Radio Globo Vancouver?

    I'm listening to the one in Tegucigalpa (my comprehension of Castellano is improving) but we need to get Dave Brindle, Simi Sera, and Nikki Renshaw back.

  • Skywalker

    2 years ago

    Listen to yourself jnewcomb.

    The Honduran military junta didn't legislate and end to hate crime and racial slurs they are intimidating the media and censoring what is acceptable reporting of the truth. Secondly you might can your obsession with Cuba, this is about Honduras Dude.

  • ME2

    2 years ago

    Double standards, Mr Newcomb ?

    An unwritten convention among world leaders is that one state does not try to assassinate the leader of another.

    Excepting the US, as is usual when it comes to conventions it expects everyone else to abide by.

    In fact, Americans even brag about the CIA's many attempts upon Castro's life.

    And if we Canadians had as many CIA operatives provoking insurrection in our streets as does Havana, we'd be far less free than Cubans are.

  • ME2

    2 years ago

    Double standards, Mr Newcomb ?

    An unwritten convention among world leaders is that one state does not try to assassinate the leader of another.

    Excepting the US, as is usual when it comes to conventions it expects everyone else to abide by.

    In fact, Americans even brag about the CIA's many attempts upon Castro's life.

    And if we Canadians had as many CIA operatives provoking insurrection in our streets as does Havana, we'd be far less free than Cubans are.

  • ME2

    2 years ago

    Double standards, Mr Newcomb ?

    An unwritten convention among world leaders is that one state does not try to assassinate the leader of another.

    Excepting the US, as is usual when it comes to conventions it expects everyone else to abide by.

    In fact, Americans even brag about the CIA's many attempts upon Castro's life.

    And if we Canadians had as many CIA operatives provoking insurrection in our streets as does Havana, we'd be far less free than Cubans are.

  • jnewcomb

    2 years ago

    Whose truth?

    I beg to differ, Mr. Skywalker, because ex-Honduran president Zelaya is a tool of Cuba and Venezuela, so Cuba is very much an obstacle to the Honduran people seeking a peaceful state free from outside interference.

    Mr. ME2, whatever the US has done to stop Castro through does not excuse the Cuban dictator's denial of freedom for the Cuban people.

    In many cases, "CIA operatives" are nothing more than Cubans who would have probably chosen to try to escape to freedom in Miami, but who are valiantly trying to challenge the dictator's police state methods. In other cases, the Cuban authorities accuse anybody who challenges their Marxist-Leninist authority of being a dupe of America. Well, President Obama isn't fooled either, so the pressure will remain. Someday, I hope to see a free and democratic Cuba.

    Cuban military have murdered so many innocents - the blood is on their hands. Thank goodness for the provisional government of President Micheletti that Hondurans have so far escaped a Cuban fate.

  • jnewcomb

    2 years ago

    missing words

    ...whatever the US has done to stop Castro through whatever means...

  • Stephanie

    2 years ago

    Honduras & Radio Globo

    To say that I've been disappointed with the Tyhee's coverage of the political scene in Honduras, is a gross understatement!

    I have lived in La Ceiba, Honduras, for the past 7 years (part time basis of 4 - 5 months yearly) and thus have close contact with a number of Hondurans throughout the country, follow a number of Honduran newspapers and radio stations and have paid close attention to the political situation from BEFORE June 28th. Therefore I believe that I am somewhat qualified to make my own comments.

    The Tyhee has been completely WRONG from day one. This was never a coup, the military never took control of the governance of Honduras, "Mad Mel" Zelaya was financed by Mr. Chavez of Venezula and his "non binding plebicite" was a direct attack on the democratic constitution of Honduras.

    Radio Globo is simply a mouth piece for Mr. Chavez, is a promoter of violence and dissension and cannot be treated as a legitimate news source.

    The only committment that Radio Globo has is to themselves and their master Mr. Chavez! They are not serving the needs of Hondurans!

    It is my sincere hope that the Thyee will decide to truly investigate the FACTS of any situation, rather than resorting to regurgitating pat phrases that stroke the leftist heart of wanna be socialists.

  • Skywalker

    2 years ago

    Well folks...

    ...if Micheletti is trying to preserve democracy and all that then let the media report freely. No partial censorship, no voluntary censorship, no censorship period. It will prove what you say. If he doesn't, he is just another right-wing military despot.

  • Skywalker

    2 years ago

    Well folks...

    ...if Micheletti is trying to preserve democracy and all that then let the media report freely. No partial censorship, no voluntary censorship, no censorship period. It will prove what you say. If he doesn't, he is just another right-wing military despot.

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