Media Landscape Changed in Venezuela by New Community Media

The explosion in the number of community media in the last decade has changed the media landscape in Venezuela. This phenomenon has manifested its power in many ways, most notably thwarting the 2002 coup attempt against President Hugo Chavez and increasing the government's popularity in the following years, a Press TV correspondent in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, reported.

Community media outlets are officially recognized in the country, thanks to a law that allows three types of broadcast media: private, state and community. Before that, most local media outlets were considered illegal. The people running these enterprises are ordinary citizens. To be registered as a community media, a station must be non-profit, at least 70% of its programs must cover the life and local news in the area, and their staff members must belong to the same community.