Media of Cambodia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Since emerging from the communist governments of the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnam-backed People's Republic of Kampuchea regime, the Cambodian media sector has become one of Southeast Asia's liveliest and most free, although a lack of professional journalism training and ethics, and intimidation by both government and private interests limit the Cambodian media's influence.

Contents

[edit] History

As of 1987, state controlled printed and electronic communications media and regulated their content. The most authoritative print medium in 1987 was the ruling KPRP's biweekly journal, Pracheachon (The People), which was inaugurated in October 1985 to express the party's stand on domestic and international affairs. Almost as important, however, was the weekly of the KUFNCD, Kampuchea. The principal publication of the armed forces was the weekly Kangtoap Padevoat (Revolutionary Army). As of late 1987, Cambodia still had no daily newspaper.[1]

Radio and television were under the direction of the Kampuchean Radio and Television Commission, created in 1983. In 1986 there were about 200,000 radio receivers in the country. The Voice of the Kampuchean People (VOKP) radio programs were broadcast in Khmer, Vietnamese, French, English, Lao, and Thai. With Vietnamese assistance, television broadcasting was instituted on a trial basis in December 1983 and then regularly at the end of 1984. As of March 1986, Television Kampuchea (TVK) operated two hours an evening, four days a week in the Phnom Penh area only. There were an estimated 52,000 television sets as of early 1986. In December 1986, Vietnam agreed to train Cambodian television technicians. The following month, the Soviet Union agreed to cooperate with Phnom Penh in the development of electronic media. Cambodian viewers began to receive Soviet television programs after March 1987, through a satellite ground station that the Soviet Union had built in Phnom Penh.[1]

Beginning in 1979, the Heng Samrin regime encouraged people to read official journals and to listen to the radio every day. Widespread illiteracy and a scarcity of both print media and radio receivers, however, meant that few Cambodians could follow the government's suggestion. But even when these media were available, "cadres and combatants" in the armed forces, for example, were more interested in listening to music programs than in reading about "the situation and developments in the country and the world or articles on good models of good people."[1]

[edit] Television

Cambodia's first television station, National Television Kampuchea (TVK), began broadcasting in 1966. Its studios were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge in 1975, but were re-established in 1979 under the Vietnamese-backed People's Republic of Kampuchea regime. TVK began broadcasting in color in 1986.

All of these stations have local programming, including serials, variety shows and game shows. Thai soap operas (dubbed in Khmer) were extremely popular, until the backlash that fueled that the 2003 Phnom Penh riots, after which Thai programs were banned.

Cable television, including UBC programming from Thailand as well as other satellite networks is also widely available.

[edit] List of television stations

There are 11 TV stations nationwide, including two relay stations with French and Vietnamese broadcasts, as well as 12 regional low-power stations (as of 2006). They include:

There are also regional relay stations for various channels in Mondulkiri, Preah Vihear, Ratanakiri and Siem Reap.

[edit] Radio

Cambodia has two AM stations and at least 52 FM stations (as of December, 2007)[3].

[edit] List of radio stations

  • Phnom Penh Radio FM 103 MHz [4]The country's most listened to radio according to recent BBC surveys (2006). [5]
  • Radio Love FM 97.5[6] MHz - Cambodia's only local full-time English-language western pop music radio station. Live DJs (native English speakers and local ESL speakers) present shows from 6am to 9pm or midnight everyday. Programs are mainly for the local 15 to 25 year-old audience. Available in and around Phnom Penh(2007).
  • Radio Australia 101.5FM Phnom Penh & Siem Reap available 24 hours a day
  • BBC World Service Radio FM 100. Brtoadcasting 24 hours a day. Available in and around Phnom Penh (2007).
  • Apsara Radio FM 97 MHz [7]
  • National Radio Kampuchea (RNK) AM 918 kHz and FM 96.
  • Radio Beehive FM 105 MHz [8]
  • Radio FM 90 MHz
  • Radio FM 99 MHz
  • Radio Free Asia [9]
  • Radio Khmer FM 107 MHz
  • Radio Sweet FM 88 MHz
  • Royal Cambodia Armed Forces Radio FM 98 MHz
  • Women's Media Centre (WMC) Radio FM 102 MHz [10]

[edit] Newspapers

There are more than 100 newspapers in Cambodia, but few of them actually keep regular publication schedules and have paid staffs. Many newspapers are run by political parties or individual politicians, so the coverage is often slanted. Reporters will sometimes demand payments from their sources to keep unfavorable stories, whether true or not, out of the paper.

However, reporters for the established vernacular dailies, as well as journalists working for wire services and the foreign-language press, generally do keep to a standard of ethics.

[edit] List of newspapers

[edit] National mass-circulation dailies

  • Chakraval Daily
  • Kampuchea Thmei Daily
  • Kampuchea Thnai Nes (Cambodia Today)
  • Kanychok Sangkhum
  • Koh Santepheap (Island of Peace) [11]
  • Moneaksekar Khmer (Khmer Conscience) - Published by the Sam Rainsy Party.
  • Rasmei Kampuchea (Light of Kampuchea) - Cambodia's largest daily, it circulates about 18,000 copies.
  • Samleng Yuvachun (Voice of Khmer Youth)
  • Udomkate Khmer (Khmer Ideal)
  • Wat Phnom Daily

[edit] English-language newspapers

  • Business News
  • The Cambodia Daily - Cambodia's only English-language daily.
  • Mekong News - A free Khmer and English paper, established in 2005.
  • The Mirror - Published by Open Forum of Cambodia, this is a weekly English-language overview of the Khmer-language press. Also publishes a weekly Khmer summary called Kanychok Sangkhum. [12]
  • Phnom Penh Post - A fortnightly, it's Cambodia's oldest English-language paper.

[edit] English-language magazines

  • Bayon Pearnik - Mixes humor and satire about current affairs in Cambodia with critical commentary and adventure-travel information. [13]
  • Cambodian Scene - Covers tourism and culture. [14]
  • Visitors Guide - Publishes separate guides for Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville. [15]

[edit] French-language newspapers

  • Cambodge Nouveau - Published monthly.
  • Cambodge Soir - Established in 1995 and published weekly, it prints about 3,000 copies, but readership is estimated at between 10,000 and 12,000.
  • "http://ka-set.info", independent french speaking newspaper, published daily. Written by former journalists of Cambodge Soir.

[edit] Chinese-language newspapers

  • Cambodia Sin Chew Daily
  • Jian Hua Daily

[edit] See also

Cambodia Portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Shinn, Rinn-Sup. "The Media". A Country Study: Cambodia (Russell R. Ross, editor). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (December 1987). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.[1]

[edit] External links