Venezuelans protest the demise of TV station

CARACAS, VENEZUELA —  Tens of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets Saturday, chanting “Freedom! Freedom!” to protest President Hugo Chavez’s decision not to renew the broadcast license of the country’s most-watched TV station, an outlet for the opposition.

Police lined a Caracas avenue while the protesters paraded past, some holding signs reading “No to silence,” while others had tape over their mouths.

Radio Caracas Television, the sole opposition-aligned TV station with nationwide reach, is due to go off the air today at midnight. Protesters say that by not renewing RCTV’s license, Chavez is attempting to silence critics of his leftist government.

Founded in 1953, RCTV broadcasts a mix of talk shows, sports, soap operas and the popular comedy program “Radio Rochela,” which often pokes fun at the president.

Chavez defends the decision as a legal move to democratize the airwaves by turning over RCTV’s signal to a public service channel. The president and his supporters have accused RCTV of supporting a failed 2002 coup against him, violating broadcast laws and regularly showing programs with excessive violence and sexual content.

Venezuela’s Supreme Court ruled Friday that broadcasting equipment used by the channel must be made available to the state-funded channel that will replace it.

The court said Venezuela’s telecommunications commission would assume responsibility for RCTV’s equipment, including antennas, while the court reviews RCTV’s appeal of Chavez’s decision.