Hizbullah-dominated TV to continue broadcasting
Lebanon, Business, 7/24/1997

The government took a surprise decision to wind up the audio-visual media controversy by granting licenses to Hizbullah-dominated Lebanese Media Group (LMG) television as well as eight other radio stations, stating that all other media should close immediately.

Lebanese information Minister Bassem Al Sabaa announced the move after a cabinet meeting at government house. As of midnight last night, however, the unlicensed media continued to broadcast.

Although he said "nothing is completely closed," Sabaa spoke of a "new media reality" in the country, as the move is certain to reactivate public opposition.

A meeting by the media follow-up committee is scheduled and expected to include representatives of stations that were given licenses.

The cabinet accepted the national audio-visual media council's recommendations to grant seven radio station permits to broadcast, four of which are category two 9 that is, non-political licenses.

Voice of Lebanon, Sawt al Shaab, and Swat al Ghad were approved for category one political licenses, while Pax Network, Mix FM, Nostalgie and Liban Star received non-political licenses.

The cabinet also gave its approval for a category one license to the Lebanese Media Group, a reconstituted version of Manar television that includes several Bekaa MPs as shareholders.

The Sawt Al Iman radio station, an "institution" supervised by Hizbullah's spiritual leader, Sayed Mohammed Hussien Fadlallah, was granted similar approval as "al Bashaer " for a category two license.

A source who wished to remain anonymous cited "a deal" to grant the LMC license in return for Hizbullah's refusal to back Henri Chedid in June's parliamentary by-election, thus allowing prime minister Rafik Hariri's ally Robert Ghanem to win unopposed.

The source added said that Hizbullah was firm in preventing its cadres from attending sheikh Sobhi Toufeili's anti-government "hunger revolution" rally earlier this month in Baalbek.

Sabaa stated that the applications of LMG and al Bashaer were corrected by resolving the issue of the participation of a shareholder in both institutions. Holding shares in more than one media institution is not permitted.

The national council report had identified Munir Abdellatif Hamdan as the shareholder, and Sabaa stated that this mistake had been corrected.

The cabinet officially attributed its decision to Sabaa's input, as the national council's opinion is non-binding.

A visit by Hariri and Sabaa to the Lebanese president began to worry executives at unlicensed television stations, who had expected that a third round of applications would be announced by the cabinet.

The media executives refused to comment on the decision, preferring to wait for the results of the July 24 meetings.

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