Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation
The Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC; Arabic: هيئة الإذاعة والتلفزيون الفلسطينية, romanized: Hayʾat al-ʾIḏāʿa wa-t-Tilifizyūn al-Filasṭīniyya) or Palestine Public Broadcasting Corporation (الهيئة العامة للإذاعة والتلفزيون الفلسطينية al-Hayʾa l-ʿĀmma li-l-ʾIḏāʿa wa-t-Tilifizyūn al-Filasṭīniyya), also known as Palestine TV, was established on 1 July 1994 and is within the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.
Agency overview
PBC has a subsidiary radio station known as the Voice of Palestine and a satellite channel known as Palestinian Satellite Channel. Palestine TV first began broadcasting in 1996 in Gaza.
History[edit]
The first head of the PBC was Fatah activist and Arafat loyalist Radwan Abu Ayyash, former head of the Arab Journalists' Association.[1]
On 19 January 2002, the Israel Defense Forces used explosives to destroy the five-story main building and transmission tower of the PBC in Ramallah claiming retaliation for the killing of six people by a Palestinian gunman linked to Fatah. The Israeli Government later singled out PBC for broadcasting material deemed to be anti-Semitic or that incited violence.[2][3]
The broadcasting corporation is a former European Broadcasting Union associate member, and was alleged to have held negotiations with the European Broadcasting Union to become a full active members.[4] However, Palestine is not a member of the required organisations, and thus does not comply with the criteria.[5] Currently, the broadcaster is a member of the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ABSU).
Financing[edit]
The PBC was funded partially by the US government until 1998.[6] In 2010, the President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree converting the PBC into a public institution.[7]