TPBS Becomes Thepchai Yong's Personal Feifdom

Channel to air on Feb 1

The Nation

Excerpt

Joining Kwansuang on the board were Apichart Thongyou, Narong Jaiharn, Nualnoi Trirat and Thepchai Yong, the former group editor of Nation Multimedia Group. Thepchai is the acting president of TPBS.

President? Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, it does.

At their first press conference, the board members committed themselves to transparency in screening new recruits, including for the news editorial team, as well as programmes submitted by independent producers.

Funny, there was no transparency in the selection of the new board. There was no transparency in the sudden destruction of TiTV. Wonder if the new board will do a story on themselves? Doubt it. In Thepchai's world, he doesn't believe that he or his brother deserve scrutiny.


Under the Thai Public Broadcasting Act, the board can stay in office for only six months until the establishment of a permanent nine-member board through selections from various groups.

6 months? Thepchai will be there for life. count on it. Thepchai financially ran iTV into the ground, which is why Thaksin bought it. Now he can run it into the ground with the taxpayer's money.

"We will start with news programmes, one of the most important content for a public TV station," Kwansuang said.

Newly hired staff would be considered temporary until they passed the three-three evaluation process.

Most likely an anti-Thaksin, pro-military ideological test.

The board expected that other worthy programmes, such as documentaries, social and cultural features as well as educational content for kids would be added to highlight TPBS's image as a public service station.

I suggest the reader turn on The Nation Channel. Look at the programs and production values. Idiotic stories, bad editing, bad sound, and bad camera work. TPBS will become The Nation Channel 2, but bought and paid for with the taxpayers money.

"TPBS has been created to balance media power in society, against those owned by the public and private sectors. The new public TV station will be run without advertising or commercial interest, but with the full involvement of people in society for their maximum benefit," Kwansuang said.

What an outrageous lie! How does Thepchai balance the private and public media powers out when he works for The Nation while simultaneously working for the military?

The new station will be supported by 1.5 per cent of excise taxes collected on "sin" products such as liquor and cigarettes, or not more than Bt2 billion annually. It will also accept sponsorship from companies.

Corporate sponsorship?

Some ministers reportedly showed concern over the appointment of Thepchai and Apichart to the board, fearing they could ignite a new political controversy.

No shit.

PM's Office Minister Thipawadee Meksawan defended Thepchai, saying he brought extensive knowledge in the broadcasting industry and is free of conflicts of interest.

Knowledge of broadcasting industry? Being a horrible journalist and a financial failure? Free from conflicts of interest? Another lie.

She said Apichart, an independent academic, had not been mixed up with any political movements since 2005.

Since 2005? This is rich.

All the board members except Thepchai were academics or social workers.

Academics and social workers should not be allowed to run a multi-billion baht public corporation. Well, if incompetent military generals can run corporations, then I guess anybody can.

Thepchai told reporters he had accepted the Nation Multimedia Group's early retirement programme and would sell his 100,000 shares in the company soon.

"I no longer belong to Nation Group and have no relationship with the media company," he said.

Is he going to disown his own brother?

"I joined the public TV station not on behalf of the Nation, but for my own personal interest. I would like to be involved right in the beginning to lay down a strong foundation for ideal TV for public services. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage Thailand to have a TV station which society can rely on," he said.

Well, this is a lie and his entire career is proof of this.

I wonder if Thepchai is going to give up his gig on Channel 5 also.

The Nation has waged war on iTV, TiTV for years. Wonder what its critical stance will be now that Thepchai is running the show.

By the way, my beef with the Yong/Yoon brothers is not political. My problem with them is that they are horrible journalists who have no professional integrity and don't produce quality work.

Thepchai says he wants TPBS to be like the BBC, which is an affront to the BBC. Let us wait and see if anybody has the courage to hold him to his word.