Confusion over status prevails

TITV CASE

Confusion over status prevails

Staff are kept wondering about change to public station

Published on January 5, 2008

Media buyers and producers of TITV remain in the dark, not knowing when the television station will be turned into a public-TV network with no advertising allowed.

Its staff of 835, while committed to carrying on their work, are also perplexed about their employment status after Thursday's Administrative Court ruling that they had become temporary employees as of Tuesday.

"Most of the commercials aired today were booked before the end of last year," said Phusit Laithong, deputy managing director of programme producer TV Thunder.

Public-TV legislation stipulates that TITV turned into a public-television network on January 1, but the government has yet to order TITV to become one.

Phusit said the programme producers and the audience are confused about the direction of TITV.

"As a producer, we've yet to receive an order from the authorities about when TITV will officially become a public-TV channel, and even TITV itself does not know that," he said.

Once it becomes a public network, TITV cannot run commercials, and all programmes must be public-service-oriented.

Sponsors have also felt reluctant to award new contracts to TITV, pending resolution of its uncertain situation.

"We want to continue producing programmes for TITV after it becomes a public station, but we have no idea whom to speak with about renewing our contract," Phusit

said.

He said programme producers and advertising agencies needed to learn from relevant authorities when TITV would become a public network and what its transition period would be.

"Some producers have already begun withdrawing their programmes from TITV since the New Year and turned to supplying programmes to other stations, because of the unclear direction of TITV," said a source with a leading media-planning agency.

However, many advertising agencies have preferred to provide programmes to TITV, knowing they would receive a "good price deal", the source said.

The amount of advertising billing that sponsors had asked the source's company to allocate for TITV had declined 20 per cent.

Tuangporn Assawawilai, who represents TITV employees, said they only learned on Thursday that they have no employment contract.

"We only learned this from the Administrative Court on that day. There was no official notification before that," she said.

She said the 835 staff members were now confused about their status and did not know whether they could resort to legal protection.

"Whatever happens, we'll continue with our work until there is further word from the Administrative Court," she said.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation