Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation

Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC)
هيئة الإذاعة والتلفزيون الفلسطينية
Agency overview
HeadquartersRamallah, Palestine
Agency executive
  • Ahmad Hazoury, General manager
Websitewww.pbc.ps

The Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC; Arabic: هيئة الإذاعة والتلفزيون الفلسطينية, romanizedHayʾat al-ʾIḏāʿa wa-t-Tilifizyūn al-Filasṭīniyya) or Palestine Public Broadcasting Corporation (الهيئة العامة للإذاعة والتلفزيون الفلسطينية al-Hayʾa l-ʿĀmma li-l-ʾIḏāʿa wa-t-Tilifizyūn al-Filasṭīniyya), also known as Palestine TV, was established on 1 July 1994 and is within the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.

PBC has a subsidiary radio station known as the Voice of Palestine and a satellite channel known as Palestinian Satellite Channel. Palestine TV first began broadcasting in 1996 in Gaza.

History

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The first head of the PBC was Fatah activist and Arafat loyalist Radwan Abu Ayyash, former head of the Arab Journalists' Association.[1]

On 19 January 2002, the Israel Defense Forces used explosives to destroy the five-story main building and transmission tower of the PBC in Ramallah claiming retaliation for the killing of six people by a Palestinian gunman linked to Fatah. The Israeli Government later singled out PBC for broadcasting material deemed to be anti-Semitic or that incited violence.[2][3]

The broadcasting corporation is a former European Broadcasting Union associate member, and was alleged to have held negotiations with the European Broadcasting Union to become a full active members.[4] However, Palestine is not a member of the required organisations, and thus does not comply with the criteria.[5] Currently, the broadcaster is a member of the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ABSU).

Financing

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The PBC was funded partially by the US government until 1998.[6] In 2010, the President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree converting the PBC into a public institution.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Jamal, A (2005). Media politics and democracy in Palestine. Sussex Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-84519-039-2, p. 78.
  2. ^ "Israel and the occupied territories". 2002 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. US Department of State.
  3. ^ BBC News Online, 'Palestinians seek $10m for radio attack', 24 January 2002.
  4. ^ Karhapää, Ilari (11 May 2007). "Palestinians wants to tell a different story". ESCToday. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  5. ^ Repo, Juha (6 June 2012). "New EBU members? Not very likely". esctoday.com. ESCToday. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  6. ^ Brynen, Rex (2000). A very political economy: peacebuilding and foreign aid in the West Bank and Gaza. US Institute of Peace Press. ISBN 978-1-929223-04-6, p. 109
  7. ^ "Palestine Public Broadcasting Commission – ABU".
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