Chile. After six months of white march after the publication of the new regulation of October 2014, which requires free-to-air TV channels and pay channels to transmit a minimum of four hours of cultural programs a week and two of them in high audience time, the National Television Council made the first formulations of charge for non-compliance with cultural regulations.
In the case of TVN, it would not have complied with the legal minimum of cultural programming in high audience hours during the first week of April 2015, since in that period only the journalistic program "El Informante" was transmitted within the regulatory block.
On the other hand, CHV did not comply with the cultural regulations during the second, third, fourth and fifth week of April, since it did not transmit the minimum weekly minutes in high audience time.
Also, charges were filed against UCV Television for not broadcasting the legal minimum of cultural programming in high audience hours, during the fifth week of April, because "UCV Noticias Central" was rejected, for not being considered as cultural content according to the regulations.
Claro, DirecTV, Entel, Telefónica and VTR received charges for violating Articles 6 and 8 of the Rules on the Transmission of Cultural Programs, with regard to the minimum weekly minutes, during high-time hours, as well as the legal minimum between Saturday and Sunday.
As for regional television, 55 channels did not comply with the regulations of cultural programming throughout the April period.
The National Television Council states that the formulation of charges does not imply prejudgment of guilt, and that the discharges of cable channels and operators who have a period of five days to do so should be awaited.
New cultural regulations
Since October 1, 2014, free-to-air television broadcasting concessionaires – free-to-air TV channels – and permittees of limited television services – satellite cable operators – must transmit a minimum of four hours of cultural programs per week.
As for the schedule, at least two of the four hours must be broadcast in high audience hours – between 6:30 p.m. and 00:00 a.m. from Monday to Friday – and the rest, between 9:00 a.m. and 00:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. As of the June 2015 audit, the modification of the rule that extends the transmission schedule established by the CNTV in May 2015 would be considered.
The two hours that were to be broadcast in high audience time, between 6:30 p.m. and 00:00 a.m. from Monday to Friday, may also be broadcast in the same slot, on Saturdays and Sundays. As for the remaining two hours, the requirement to transmit them between 9:00 a.m. and 00:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, they can now be broadcast between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. from Monday to Sunday.
According to the regulations of the National Television Council "cultural programs will be understood as those that refer to the values that emanate from the multicultural identities existing in the country, as well as those related to the civic formation of people, those aimed at strengthening national, regional or local identities, such as traditional festivals or celebrations, and those aimed at promoting universal heritage and, in particular, national heritage".
