Lebanon’s state TV goes off-air after series of woes

LONDON: Lebanon’s first public television network, Tele Liban, was shut down on Friday by Information Minister Ziad Makary, amid concerns over funding and labor issues.

The decision comes in the wake of the broadcaster grappling for months with several challenges including the non-payment of salaries, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.  

The media outlet’s employees went on an open-ended strike earlier this month over unpaid salaries and the withholding of other benefits.

In a recent interview with Arab News, Mirna Chidiac, head of Tele Liban’s Employees Syndicate, said that the strike was the result of a “long series of unsuccessful attempts to receive their dues,” adding that the salaries being paid in the country’s devalued currency was “unsustainable.”

Makary announced that the government had released the funds to pay employees, but due to staff reductions at public institutions “transactions are slow.”

However, many expressed concerns on social media that the government was planning to close the network permanently.

Playwright and actor Ziad Itani saw the move as “a crime against Lebanese memory and national institutions,” adding that the closure was “implemented by a gang of recently empowered militias that fail to comprehend the cultural and artistic significance of the nation’s heritage.”  

Actress Carmen Lebbos shared a video in which she criticized the government for its decision, saying: “Is there a country in the world that lacks a state-owned television channel? Indeed, there is us — the nation without a (functioning) government.”

Lebbos said the closure “erases the memory of the homeland and the nation.” She accused the authorities of nepotism and corruption, which has seen people employed who are idle.

Hasan Dorr, a columnist for Aliwaa news website, wrote: “The name Tele Liban will forever remind us of the good old days! Closing this channel is a victory for the era of bad media.”

Founded in 1959 as Compagnie Libanaise de Television, Tele Liban was the first television station in the Middle East and the Arab world.

Tele Liban’s current structure is the result of a merger between the country’s two leading privately-run networks, CLT and Tele-Orient. It was Lebanon’s sole network until the end of the civil war.

Tele Liban has faced several challenges over the years, including during the Lebanese Civil War from 1975 to 1990 when it was taken over by militias and used as a platform to air their agendas.

In recent years, Tele Liban has been accused of not being objective and having too close ties with the Lebanese government.

However, the network has remained an important part of Lebanese culture, providing a variety of programming, including news and current affairs.

The decision to shut down Tele Liban is in stark contrast with the government previous commitment to put on a series of events and activities that would “create a common space between Lebanon and its Arab brethrens.”

In December 2022, the Media and Communications Sector Committee of the League of Arab States selected Beirut as the Capital of Arab Media for 2023. The Lebanese government said it was ready to take on this challenge, despite the country’s difficult economic and political situation.

“Lebanon is keen to demonstrate its Arabism through the title ‘Beirut, Capital of Arab Media,’” said Makary. 

“This title constitutes a challenge amid Lebanon’s difficult political and economic conditions; yet we have accepted this challenge. We will ensure the success of all events that will extend for a whole year.”