Media at the Crossroads

From the beginning of Thailand’s broadcasting industry 71 years ago, the state exerted tight control over all forms of electronic media as a mechanism of ideological control. For nearly 50 years, government after government succeeded in maintaining a firm grip on the broadcast media with the justification that the industry was a key instrument in the fight against colonialism and communism. Successive governments discouraged any call for a ‘real’ broadcasting policy, leading to a media environment which Ubonrat Siriyuwasak sees as characterized by ‘patronage, authoritarianism and privileged capitalism’.  This situation is clearly illustrated by the fact that the army currently owns nearly 500 radio stations and two television channels in Thailand. The rest belong to other state agencies which lease frequencies to the highest bidder who, in virtually all cases, win the concession through dubious dealings.
New Broadcasting Law: A Step Forward?
In the early 1990s, Thailand underwent a process of radical political and economic change. Following the collapse of the military junta in the face of a popular uprising in 1992, civic groups seized the opportunity to launch a campaign to democratise the broadcasting industry. Extensive lobbying and campaigning resulted in a major step towards a more open and democratic media, with the inclusion of a section in the new Thai constitution that provided for a thorough reform of the broadcasting industry. The provision called for the abolition of the sole ownership of radio and television waves by various state agencies. It also allowed for the establishment of a new independent commission to act as a regulatory body to allocate broadcasting licenses to a variety of bidders under guidelines laid out in the new broadcasting law. Alarmingly, four years have passed since the implementation of the new constitution yet the process of broadcasting reform remains incomplete. Reform has been stalled by groups including the armed forces and commercial concerns who buy licenses from current holders. In response, civic groups have formed an alliance to campaign vigorously for broadcasting media reform – a struggle which continues today.
A New Media Landscape
The reform of broadcast media in Thailand is, however, not an isolated internal issue. Rather, it is fundamentally affected by recent trends in communications and the international arena. The advent of digital technology and the resulting convergence of media presents a new dimension in tackling the broadcasting industry since it totally changes the media landscape. With a proliferation of channels comes the question; what is the best strategy to ensure proper regulation? Thailand is also a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) which agressively promotes free trade in every sector of the economy, As a result, Thailand is witnessing a process of liberalisation of the media and telecommunications market which adds a further dynamic to the reform process. Added to this scenario is the rise to the premiership of telecommunications tycoon, Thaksin Shinawatra, whose family owns the country’s biggest telecommunication company, the only commercial television station and interests in telecommunication agreements with neighbouring countries. This fact has led to concerns that the prime minister, rather than keeping the spirit of reform alive, will instead use his political power to protect his personal wealth and in doing so will kill the broadcasting reform process.
The Thai reform process will also be influenced by the debate over the future of public service broadcasting (PSB) in the digital era. Originating from discussions over the future of the BBC in the UK, this debate has centered on the relevance of PSB in the current media environment. Many have called for the abolition of the BBC, arguing that PSB is irrelevant since the quantity of channels offered to the viewer by digital platforms creates diversity and pluralism in the media and thus undermines the raison d’etre of PSB. Those who advocate a continuation of PSB argue for the ongoing relevance of PSB in the digital era. Moreover, they stress the critical importance of access to the information superhighway for public television. As Leen d’Haenens and Frieda Saeys state ‘to exclude public service television from the digital and multimedia worlds is to weaken it and condemn it to decline for short-term political reasons’. The outcome of the debate over PSB in the UK will be a pointer for other policy makers around the world, including those in Thailand.
The Future of Broadcasting Reform
The combination of these factors point to Thailand at a crossroads in its media history and the stakes are high. If the reform of Thailand’s broadcast media succeeds, it will signal the beginning of a truly participatory democracy and real benefits for grassroots groups and citizens from digital technology. But to achieve this, the advocates of the reform process must find ways to overcome strong resistance from current interest groups, for if the reform fails it will be a huge setback for Thailand’s fledgling democracy.
In the new, more open environment, opportunities have been created for grassroots and civic groups. They are set to receive 20% of total frequencies after the reform is achieved. In the meantime, such groups have begun trial broadcastings around the country, thus adding momentum to the broadcasting reform process. The challenge to the democratisation of the broadcasting media comes mainly from commercial sectors who have begun to take over the industry from the state as part of a privatization process. They, jointly with the state, are putting up fierce resistance to the reform by sending their proxy into the incoming regulatory body for the telecommunication and broadcasting industry, and by lobbying for changes in the new Broadcasting Act. This distortion of the democratisation process will mean a very long struggle for civic and grassroots groups to reclaim their own voice. Nevertheless, these groups have a real commitment to this struggle and despite the challenges ahead, they will continue to fight for their cause.
WACC’s Training Assistance Programme is co-funded by HEKS, Switzerland.