After the purchase of more than half of editorial group Epensa's shares, which gave Grupo El Comercio control over almost 80 percent of the newspaper market in Peru, the topic of media concentration has become ubiquitous -- and volatile -- in the country. It dominates the public debate with virtually a new article or opinion piece every day, and last week, the opposing sides of the debate over the potential negative effects of the transaction were illustrated by the disagreement between award-winning Peruvian writer and former presidential candidate Mario Vargas Llosa and his son Álvaro.
Last week eight journalists sued media conglomerate Grupo El Comercio before the Constitutional Court in Lima, Perú for its recent purchase of 54 percent of the shares of editorial group Epensa.
The government of President Rafael Correa currently holds 21 different media properties that include 14 impounded outlets, three public ones and four at the state level, according to the recent report "How the news we receive is filtered" conducted by the NGO Fundamedios.
The Argentine media conglomerate Grupo Clarín has drafted a plan to comply with the country's media law that would consist in dividing its audiovisual licenses between six business units.
After a heated debate during the 69th General Assembly of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) over Peruvian media conglomerate Grupo El Comercio's recent purchase of more than half of the shares of publishing group Epensa, media firm La República announced it will file a lawsuit against its competitor for monopolistic practices.
The concentration of the media by “autocratic” governments is one of the “the greatest obstacles for the freedom of the press in the western hemisphere during the last six months of the year” and the killing of 14 journalists represents one of the highest numbers in the last 20 years, the Inter American Press Association noted during the conclusion of its 69th General Assembly in Denver last weekend.
A total of 55 radio and television frequencies will be appropriated by the Ecuadorian government for failing to comply with the country's new communications law, said telecommunications minister Jaime Guerrero during a Sep. 20 press conference, news portal Infobae reported.
Following the purchase of 54% of the shares of the printing and marketing branch of Empresa Periodística Nacional S.A. ( Epensa in Spanish), publishing company El Comercio has become the largest media owner in the country. Will the move have an impact on journalism and freedom of expression in Peru?
Two daily newspapers in Mexico have created their own cable television news channels to compete against the limited coverage that Mexico's network duopoly provide the country on broadcast television. Starting on Sept. 2, Excélsior, the oldest paper in Mexico, will begin broadcasting a 24 hour news channel under its brand using its own reporters.
The director of Globovisón, one of the most critical private television networks of the Venezuelan government, announced that it will be sold after the April 14 presidential election, reported the newspaper El Universal.