Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0112/01127.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 13KB | 225 lines

$Unique_ID{COW01127}
$Pretitle{254}
$Title{Dominican Republic
Chapter 6D.   Public Information}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Thomas E. Weil, Jan Knippers Black, Harold I. Blutstein, Kathryn T. Johnson, David S. McNorris, Frederick P. Munson}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{radio
domingo
santo
de
stations
circulation
united
el
states
government}
$Date{1973}
$Log{}
Country:     Dominican Republic
Book:        Dominican Republic
Author:      Thomas E. Weil, Jan Knippers Black, Harold I. Blutstein, Kathryn T. Johnson, David S. McNorris, Frederick P. Munson
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1973

Chapter 6D.   Public Information

Freedom of Expression

     Although guaranteed by the constitution, freedom of expression during the
Trujillo regime was virtually nonexistent. During the first two years after
his assumption of power in 1932, Trujillo brought under his control all
sources of public information by using a combination of political, economic,
and social pressures in which coercion played a prominent part. Later, after
he had gained control of the media, he attempted to formalize his procedures
through legislation. The basic statute around which restrictive legislation
centered was the communications law of 1938.

     A law promulgated in 1944 required submission of printed matter to the
secretary of state for interior and police. Shop machinery was liable to
confiscation as payment of fines imposed for violation of government
regulations, and penalties of correctional imprisonment were established for
violators. In 1949 a law created the National Commission of Public Spectacles
and empowered it to formulate regulations affecting motion pictures, drama,
radio, and television broadcasting. All performances considered offensive to
good customs or critical of the government were prohibited. Under a law
promulgated early in 1961, vendors of radio and television receiving sets were
required to submit to the director general of telecommunications the names of
all purchasers.

     The Constitution of 1962, framed after the assassination of Trujillo,
reaffirmed the principle of freedom of expression, but a law promulgated in
December 1962 repeated the Trujillo statutory regulations relating to
communications media and made those media carrying appeals for civil
disobedience liable to prosecution. The Constitution of 1963, enacted during
the presidency of Juan Bosch, stated that the press might not be subjected to
"any type of coercion or censorship"; after President Bosch was overthrown,
however, the government returned to the Constitution of 1962. Dissemination of
all forms of communist propaganda was prohibited, and owners and managers of
broadcasting stations and publishing concerns who carried material originating
with proscribed organizations were declared guilty of misdemeanors.

     In 1964 the government established a censorship committee to enforce a
ban on all political broadcasts. During the late 1960s, however, steps were
taken to eliminate the legacy of the Trujillo dictatorship, and the government
relaxed its controls.

Radio, Television, and Motion Pictures

     During the 1950s and 1960s the number of licensed radio transmitters in
the republic increased dramatically, as did the number of radio listeners. The
importation of inexpensive battery-operated transistor receiving sets during
the 1960s launched a communications revolution.

     In 1972 there were approximately ninety-six originating radio stations.
Approximately seven of these broadcast on shortwave frequencies only; about
twenty-one broadcast on both mediumwave and shortwave; and the remainder
transmitted on mediumwave only. Thirty-two had permission to operate on
frequency modulation (FM) frequencies. There were thirty-three radio stations
in Santo Domingo and fifteen in Santiago de los Caballeros. Under normal
conditions only about nine of the Santo Domingo stations could be heard in the
interior.

     The number of receivers in the country was estimated at 2.5 million.
About 700,000 of the total number could receive shortwave broadcasts. Because
of the difficult terrain FM transmission was used principally to link studios
with standard transmitters. Most of the stations in Santo Domingo and Santiago
de los Caballeros, as well as a number of other stations, were well equipped
and used modern cartridge tape recorders for music and commercials. Four of
the more powerful stations subscribed to a United States wire service, and
four stations broadcast daily news programs, which were rebroadcast by
twenty-eight stations in the interior.

     With the exception of a government-owned station, no radio station was
identified with any particular philosophy or political party. Among the more
important stations broadcasting from Santo Domingo in 1972 were Radio
Universal, Radio Mil, the government-owned Radio Quisqueya Internacional, and
Broadcasting Nacional. Popular stations broadcasting from Santiago de los
Caballeros included Radio Santiago and Radio Hit Musical. Radio Quisqueya
Internacional, with a fifty-kilowatt transmitter, was the most powerful
station in the country. A number of stations had a ten-kilowatt capacity;
several operated on five kilowatts; and a large number used one kilowatt.

     In 1972 about 75 percent of the people lived within the primary reception
area for the country's four television channels, but only an estimated 25
percent of the population watched television-on approximately 250,000
receiving sets. All four channels originated in Santo Domingo.

     Radio Television Dominicana, government owned, operated on channel 4; it
had one relay station (channel 5) in the interior. Color Vision, a private
station, operated on channel 9 in Santo Domingo and had a relay station
(channel 2) in Santiago de los Caballeros. Rehintel, also a private station,
operated on channel 7 in the capital city and had a relay station (channel 11)
in the interior. The fourth channel, Tele Inde (channel 30), officially opened
in August 1972, broadcast using ultra-high frequencies and introduced a new
system of audiovisual education.

     Each television station broadcast approximately nine hours. Along with
newscasts, the stations' program material consisted of drama series, cartoons,
and old films. A large proportion of this material originated in the United
States.

     In 1972 there were more than 100 motion picture theaters in the country
with a total seating capacity of about 50,000. The majority of the films shown
were originated in the United States and were subtitled in Spanish, but films
from Spanish-speaking countries, particularly Mexico, and from certain
European countries were also exhibited.

     There were two basic kinds of motion picture theaters. First-class
theaters showed United States and certain other foreign films. These were
found only in the two major cities, and the price of admission limited
attendance generally to foreigners and middle class and upper class
Dominicans. Most Dominicans, however, could afford to attend the cheaper, less
comfortable theaters, which showed older or poorer quality films. The people
tended to regard motion pictures solely as a medium of entertainment.

Newspapers, Periodicals, and Books

     In the past, the lifespans of newspapers in the Dominican Republic have
been ephemeral. El Telegrafo Constitucional de Santo Domingo, the first
newspaper printed in the capital city, appeared only briefly in 1821. El
Dominicano, the first newspaper published after independence, appeared in
1845, but soon ceased publication because it assumed an antigovernment
position. The Listin Diario, founded in 1889, established a reputation for
being one of the most independent newspapers in Latin America, and in 1972 it
maintained its position as a leading daily. During the Trujillo regime all
publications were subjected to strict government controls, but after the
assassination of the dictator the press was generally free.

     In 1972 there were seven