Mixed and confused reports are coming in regarding LBN. The initial report said that LBN will get the license on Friday 21 July 2006 but now it looks like there is a Court Case on friday too and the TRC and Media Ministry have asked to submit any documents. There are also reports that LBN hopes to resume transmissions by the end of this month.
Customers of the Cable TV companies that were shutdown have learnt not to hope too much these days.
It will be very good if even transmissions are started by the end of the month at least. But it is sad to note that the newspapers are not publishing any news regarding LBN and it seems like we have to rely solely on the information provided by the LBN reps.
Hopefully LBN will get the newspapers to publish information about what is happening in their court hearings. This will enable us to get to know the truth regarding this whole scenario. At the moment it is easy to misunderstand and think that LBN is hiding something.
We urge the customers of LBN to write to the officials concerned until the connection is restored. It is also advantageous for the customers of LBN to write to H.E. President Mahinda Rajaspakse and ask him to give relief to over 10,000 LBN subscribers.
In the mean time hopefully this situation will be resolved soon.
Customers of the Cable TV companies that were shutdown have learnt not to hope too much these days.
It will be very good if even transmissions are started by the end of the month at least. But it is sad to note that the newspapers are not publishing any news regarding LBN and it seems like we have to rely solely on the information provided by the LBN reps.
Hopefully LBN will get the newspapers to publish information about what is happening in their court hearings. This will enable us to get to know the truth regarding this whole scenario. At the moment it is easy to misunderstand and think that LBN is hiding something.
We urge the customers of LBN to write to the officials concerned until the connection is restored. It is also advantageous for the customers of LBN to write to H.E. President Mahinda Rajaspakse and ask him to give relief to over 10,000 LBN subscribers.
In the mean time hopefully this situation will be resolved soon.
10 comments:
To be honest, LBN is very poor in updating their customers. No need to misunderstand their hiding something
If you call LBN....
an ordinary rep will answer you "sir we are hoping to have the trasmission soon...probably by the next hearing date"
If you ask for a manager.."Sir they are not at the seats" or they are at a meeting or with managing director"
Are there any other reliable sources available to get some realistic updates
LBN is of the view that the issue will be resolved on Friday
I gotta disagree with the 2nd posting. I called LBN yesterday. The rep was pretty courteous in explaining the state of affairs with regard to the case.
And seriously all they can say is that they hope to resume transmission soon cos with bloody courts in this country you never know what's going to happen.
Can you please post the state of affairs explained by that rep
Did any of you watch Liar Abeywardena's comic show yesterday...it is understood that he is behind in all these new regulations on cable/Sat TV and local TV stations!!!!
The courts have instructed the attorneys for Media and TRC to report on Fridy 21st, if at least a temporary license will be issued to LBN.
LBO >> Services
Countdown
20 July 2006 23:42:53
Treasury secretary to give ruling on Friday on new TV taxes
July 20, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s treasury secretary is to give a ruling on Friday over the controversial tax slapped on television stations airing English content, following a meeting with broadcasters late Thursday.
The tax, which also applies to Hindi language content, largely affects English language viewers who account for around 5-percent of total audience. Tamil content is exempted from the tax.
Starting July 16, popular Bollywood and Hollywood blockbusters, movies, dramas and serials aired on television are taxed 75,000 rupees for a 30 minute block.
Each half hour segment dubbed in native Sinhala or Tamil languages are charged 90,000 rupees
Local broadcasters – MTV, Art TV and ETV – had requested Jayasundara to consider exempting English language programmes from the tax, since they are aired for around six hours each day.
However, those from the government team, which included leading film artists, producers and officials from the media ministry, had pointed out that even the two state-television channels also showed some English content, sources at the meeting said.
If Jayasundara gave exemptions to private broadcasters, the government team urged he do the same for state television as well.
Private channels also urged Jayasundara to scrap a million rupee tax slapped on foreign advertisements aired on local television channels.
The tax, which applies for a year, has to be paid by the broadcaster and not the advertiser.
Local firms have been outsourcing their promotional work to Indian and Singaporean companies to beat exorbitant costs incurred when produced in Sri Lanka.
However, broadcasters had pointed out that ruling is meaningless to advertisements of multinational companies like Unilevers, Coca Cola and Nestles, who adopt a common theme to be aired throughout the regional countries they do business with.
Under new regulations, television stations have to give copies of their foreign language programmes to a government appointed committee for approval before they are aired.
Broadcasters had pointed out that the decision violated agreements each of them have signed with foreign content suppliers like Paramount and Warner Brothers, who adopt a strict policy to protect the intellectual property rights.
Making an extra copy, leaves room for original material to be pirated, the private television stations had pointed out.
Broadcasters had appealed to Jayasundara to make an immediate ruling on these exemptions.
But the treasury secretary had sought extra time till Friday and said he will convey the decision through the media ministry.
Interestingly, Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, Thursday, denied any involvement in drafting this draconian piece of law. "It is a decision under the Finance Act. We are just the implementing authority," minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa told reporters.
The government brought in this new law, as local artists claimed their productions could not be aired as television stations are airing foreign content on prime time belts.
According to Film Corporation Chairman Asoka Serasinghe, foreign films account for around 50 of the 57 aired each week.
He said around 300 locally produced teledramas are also sitting on the shelves, waiting for vacant slots on state-run Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corp
All of these actions, reactions and the subsequent paraphernalia clearly demonstrates the true self of this stupid country's administration..! Non seem to know that TV stations needed Licence to operate private TV channels - not even the private TV stations themselves..! Now they dont seem to know how to get to the end of the jumbled cotton ball. At the end of the day, some politioc's someone must be having a huge laugh so that they can operate new TV stations. I wonder who is liable to payback our money and the right to watch what we want to wath or read..!! Good luck !!!
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