Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

TeleSur was a →  Television initiative launched in July 2005 and spearheaded by the government of Venezuela, in cooperation with three other Latin American states – Argentina, Cuba, and Uruguay (→  Argentina: Media System ; Cuba: Media System ; International Television ). The channel was presented by its promoters as “the new television of the south,” with a geopolitical emphasis on the global south reflected in the way they write its very name: teleSUR . While there were some undeniably innovative aspects to this project, its central objectives corresponded to old and traditionally unfulfilled political aspirations for Latin American regional integration on the one hand, and for providing alternatives to the hegemonic ideologies of cultural imperialism on the other (→  Cultural Imperialism Theories ). This orientation was clearly reflected in one of the channel's slogans, often seen on the screen in promotional spots between programs: “Seeing each other we get to know each other, knowing each other we get to respect each other, respecting each other we learn to love each other, and loving each other is the first step toward integration.” As an actual organization, then, TeleSur had a quite short history at the time of writing. However, the specific motivations behind its formation, beyond the rather general political ideals outlined above, may well be traced to the events of ... log in or subscribe to read full text