New Latin-Focused TV Channel Begins Tests

By THAIS LEON .c The Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - A new TV station backed by
Venezuela, Argentina, Cuba and Uruguay began
transmitting by satellite Tuesday as part of the test
phase for a project organizers say will bring Latin
America an alternative to large commercial media
outlets.

The first images shown on Telesur included promotional
clips of people from various Latin countries dancing,
smiling and holding political protests. All Venezuelan
television channels were required to air the programming
as a public service.

The signal was also carried on some government and
community channels in Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia,
said Telesur’s director Aram Aharonian.

"It’s an anti-hegemonic project, a political project of
integration and to show the diversity and plurality of
the continent," said Aharonian.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has given strong
financial backing to the project, saying it will help
give South America a voice independent of traditional
media conglomerates like CNN. Chavez’s information
minister, Andres Izarra, is the station’s president.

Aharonian denied accusations by Venezuelan government
critics that the channel would carry left-wing
"propaganda," saying it would be independent and would
offer news and cultural programs from a Latin American
perspective.

The station has its headquarters in Caracas, in a
building adjacent to Venezuelan state television, and is
setting up bureaus around Latin America and in
Washington.

Izarra said it will allow people across the Americas "to
transmit their own values, show their own image, debate
their own ideas."

The test phase is to continue until September, when the
channel is to be running 24 hours a day. But Izarra said
some news programming and documentaries will be shown
starting July 24.

Organizers said the project has an initial cost of $10
million dollars, although it was unclear how much of the
cost was being paid by Venezuela and how much by other
participating governments. There will be no commercial
advertising, unlike large Spanish-language channels such
as Univision and Telemundo.