New Insights Into World News

[george]

New insights into world news

BANGKOK: -- Television channel ModerNine TV has teamed with the Nation Channel to provide viewers with analyses of global affairs in two new programmes starting February 6.

The programmes, “Cheeppajorn Loke Wannee” and “Cheeppajorn Loke Kab Suthichai Yoon”, will be produced by Nation Channel. The first will be a 15-minute programme aired at 8am from Monday to Friday and the latter a one-hour programme hosted by Nation Multimedia Group editor-in-chief Suthichai Yoon and aired at 10pm every Monday.

Suthichai said local TV channels did not pay much attention to international news and interested viewers had to turn to the CNN and BBC channels to stay informed. “The content will be audience-friendly with an easy-to-understand style. It will tell audiences what particular situations are happening elsewhere that affect Thai people and the rest of the world,” Suthichai said.

Mingkwan Sangsuwan, president of MCOT Plc, the operator of ModerNine TV, said the partnership was to help the channel achieve its goal of becoming a genuine “edutainment” TV channel. The allocation of the prime-time slot for “Cheeppajorn Loke Kab Suthichai Yoon” signalled the channel’s resolve to promote international news analysis, he said.

“We consider news as part of the plan and when we say ‘edutainment’, it is not limited to only movies or soap operas. That’s the reason we are introducing the programmes,” Mingkwan said.

While Nation Channel will be responsible for the content, MCOT will provide technological assistance as well as provide links to TV networks from other countries. The revenue from advertising will be shared between the two parties.

Jomkwan Lohpetch will host the morning programme with Suthichai and Nation group editor Thepchai Yong taking turns as co-hosts. Nation Channel’s foreign news editor, Veenarat Laohapakakul, will co-host the Monday night programme.

--The Nation 2006-01-17

[sriracha john]

Jomkwan Lohpetch will host the morning programme with Suthichai Yoon and Nation group editor Thepchai Yong taking turns as co-hosts. Nation Channel’s foreign news editor, Veenarat Laohapakakul, will co-host the Monday night programme.

This is very welcome news. They are both very good and respectable journalists. The catch, I suspect, is just how long the shows will be allowed to air OR what they will be allowed to say, that is, if the following samples are any indication:

Thepchai Yong

War’ on corruption is too little, too late

Published on January 17, 2006

Has anyone told Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra that he is five years too late in declaring war on corruption? No wonder his recent announcement that he was getting serious about fighting one of Thailand’s biggest social ills was greeted with the scepticism and even cynicism that it deserved.

and Suthichai Yoon:

Thaksin’s big setback for 2006: (dis)trust

Published on Jan 12, 2006

The biggest problem for PM Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006 – The Year of the Ferocious Dog – doesn’t involve politics, whether it’s the threat from the main opposition party or various pressure groups or rebellions from within. Nor is it related to economic performance.

Thaksin’s single most serious issue now can be summed up in one word: trust. Or to be precise, the lack of it.

Good luck to them both. It'll be interesting to see how MCOT will handle things.

[Plus]

They'll be covering international news, not domestic issues.

[sriracha john]

yes, that will be part of the interesting part... to see how the implications from world news will effect Thailand... and their take on it... and how that effect is influenced by the powers that be. It will be difficult to separate.