On 24 July this year, in an ostensible bid to "promote Latin American integration", a new pan-South American television channel began broadcasting from the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. Telesur – short for 'Television of the South' – has the patronage of the left-leaning governments of Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay and Cuba. It hopes to be the 'ideological rival' to the perceived pro-American CNN Latin, which has been the only international television news network available in the region. Beginning with USD 10 million in start-up capital provided by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez's government, Telesur's bosses also hope to rope Brazil into the project – although that country is currently looking into launching its own international network.
In Telesur's favour is the fact that the 'mainstream' audiences in all of the major Latin American countries have similar cultural and linguistic sensibilities – Spanish and Catholicism. Whether or not these commonalties are enough to make the channel a viable alternative to the Western media in general and CNN Latin in particular remains to be seen. Moreover, the fact that the venture is overtly backed by governments with distinct anti-US predilections puts a political colour on the project and a question mark on the editorial independence and credibility of the new channel. Despite these potential pitfalls, however, this model is significant in that it could, with suitable variations, be replicated in other developing regions of the world, including Southasia.
Telesur has only recently begun broadcasting, and it might be premature to propose a regional television channel for Southasia on the basis of its untested concept. However, it is interesting that another region of 'the South' has felt the need for an audio-visual voice for itself, at a time when the idea of a channel for the Subcontinent as a whole has begun to take hold in the minds of many. Regionalism in Southasia, which got a boost with the official sanction of the establishment of SAARC two decades ago, has been an increasingly important theme for civil society in each of the region's countries. Over time, such groups have felt the need for print and electronic media that cover the region as a whole; the overwhelming presence of western satellite news has made analysts call for native channels. The spread of Indian channels, in particular the satellite footprints of Hindi and English broadcasts emanating from India, has again led people in other countries to call for a satellite channel that is uniquely Southasian, without allegiance to any national sensibility.
Some believe that now is the perfect time for a Southasian channel; they tend to be the idealists who hanker for 'soft borders', Southasian camaraderie, peace and the prosperity that comes from peace. There are others who believe that the time is not right for such a channel; they tend to be the realists who point out, first, that the audiences are currently not present for a channel that tries to be all things to all audiences across seven nation states. They also point to the enormous costs of running a satellite channel in Southasia. Such an investment would be unlikely to be backed by bankers and investors – at least, not until the movement for Southasian regionalism evolves into a revolution.