Media of Cambodia
Encyclopedia
The Cambodian media sector is vibrant and largely unregulated. This situation has led to the establishment of numerous radio, television and print media outlets. Many private sector companies have moved into the media sector, which represents a significant change from many years of state-run broadcasting and publishing.
Since emerging from the communist governments of the Khmer Rouge
and the Vietnam
-backed People's Republic of Kampuchea regime, the Cambodian media sector has become one of Southeast Asia's liveliest and most free, although a lack of professional journalism training and ethics, and intimidation by both government
and private interests, limit the Cambodian media's influence.
(The People), which was inaugurated in October 1985 to express the party's stand on domestic and international affairs. Almost as important, however, was the weekly of the KUFNCD, Kampuchea. The principal publication of the armed forces was the weekly Kangtoap Padevoat (Revolutionary Army). During the Vietnamese occupation in 1987, Cambodia had no daily newspaper.. Though this situation changed swiftly after the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops and the UNTAC supervised general election in 1993.
Radio and television were under the direction of the Kampuchean Radio and Television Commission, created in 1983. In 1986 there were about 200,000 radio receivers in the country. The Voice of the Kampuchean People (VOKP) radio programs were broadcast in Khmer, Vietnamese, French, English, Lao, and Thai. With Vietnamese assistance, television broadcasting was instituted on a trial basis in December 1983 and then regularly at the end of 1984. As of March 1986, Television Kampuchea (TVK) operated two hours an evening, four days a week in the Phnom Penh area only. There were an estimated 52,000 television sets as of early 1986. In December 1986, Vietnam agreed to train Cambodian television technicians. The following month, the Soviet Union agreed to cooperate with Phnom Penh in the development of electronic media. Cambodian viewers began to receive Soviet television programs after March 1987, through a satellite ground station that the Soviet Union had built in Phnom Penh.
Beginning in 1979, the Heng Samrin regime encouraged people to read official journals and to listen to the radio every day. Widespread illiteracy and a scarcity of both print media and radio receivers, however, meant that few Cambodians could follow the government's suggestion. But even when these media were available, "cadres and combatants" in the armed forces, for example, were more interested in listening to music programs than in reading about "the situation and developments in the country and the world or articles on good models of good people."
is XUTV, which began broadcasting in 1966. The station was part of state-owned Radio dffusion Nationale Khmere in 1970, operating 12 to 14 hours daily, with advertising as its primary income. Its studios were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge
in 1975, halting the role of television during the Khmer Rouge era.
In 1983, the government launched another station, TVK, under the Vietnamese-backed People's Republic of Kampuchea regime. TVK was initially launched on 1 March 1985. It began broadcasting in color from 1986. There was only one station until the late 1990s, when private companies began to launch their own stations.
All of these stations have local programming, including serials, variety shows and game shows. Thai soap operas (dubbed in Khmer
) were extremely popular, until a backlash following the 2003 Phnom Penh riots
, after which Thai programs were banned.
Cable television, including UBC programming from Thailand
as well as other satellite
networks, is also widely available in Cambodia
. Many people in Cambodia do not watch Cambodia-produced television, instead applying for UBC from Thailand to view Thai programs. Cambodians living abroad can watch Khmer television content via Thaicom
from Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
Most television networks in Cambodia shut down in the evening. Since 2008, the government have allowed TV channels to close at 12.00 a.m. (midnight) and resume at 6.00 a.m..
During March 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011, under the logo of TVK will have text "25ឆ្នាំ", which is pronounced as "25 Chnam", which means "25 Years", is 25 years of TVK.
There are also regional relay stations for various channels in Mondulkiri
, Preah Vihear, Ratanakiri
, Siem Reap
and Sihanoukville
. But TVK does not have the relay stations, instead, they made the local stations.
from suggestion by ASEAN.
stations and at least 52 FM
stations
However, reporters for the established vernacular dailies and journalists working for wire services and the foreign-language press, generally keep to a standard of ethics.
Since emerging from the communist governments of the Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
and the Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
-backed People's Republic of Kampuchea regime, the Cambodian media sector has become one of Southeast Asia's liveliest and most free, although a lack of professional journalism training and ethics, and intimidation by both government
Politics of Cambodia
The Politics of Cambodia takes place in a framework of a constitutional monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government and a Monarch is head of state. The kingdom formally takes place according to the nation's constitution in a framework of a parliamentary, representative...
and private interests, limit the Cambodian media's influence.
History
In 1987, the state controlled print and electronic media and regulated their content. The most authoritative print medium in 1987 was the ruling KPRP's biweekly journal, PracheachonPracheachon
The Krom Pracheachon , often referred to simply as Pracheachon, was a Cambodian political party that contested in parliamentary elections in 1955, 1958 and 1972....
(The People), which was inaugurated in October 1985 to express the party's stand on domestic and international affairs. Almost as important, however, was the weekly of the KUFNCD, Kampuchea. The principal publication of the armed forces was the weekly Kangtoap Padevoat (Revolutionary Army). During the Vietnamese occupation in 1987, Cambodia had no daily newspaper.. Though this situation changed swiftly after the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops and the UNTAC supervised general election in 1993.
Radio and television were under the direction of the Kampuchean Radio and Television Commission, created in 1983. In 1986 there were about 200,000 radio receivers in the country. The Voice of the Kampuchean People (VOKP) radio programs were broadcast in Khmer, Vietnamese, French, English, Lao, and Thai. With Vietnamese assistance, television broadcasting was instituted on a trial basis in December 1983 and then regularly at the end of 1984. As of March 1986, Television Kampuchea (TVK) operated two hours an evening, four days a week in the Phnom Penh area only. There were an estimated 52,000 television sets as of early 1986. In December 1986, Vietnam agreed to train Cambodian television technicians. The following month, the Soviet Union agreed to cooperate with Phnom Penh in the development of electronic media. Cambodian viewers began to receive Soviet television programs after March 1987, through a satellite ground station that the Soviet Union had built in Phnom Penh.
Beginning in 1979, the Heng Samrin regime encouraged people to read official journals and to listen to the radio every day. Widespread illiteracy and a scarcity of both print media and radio receivers, however, meant that few Cambodians could follow the government's suggestion. But even when these media were available, "cadres and combatants" in the armed forces, for example, were more interested in listening to music programs than in reading about "the situation and developments in the country and the world or articles on good models of good people."
Television
Cambodia launched a test television station, its call signCall sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
is XUTV, which began broadcasting in 1966. The station was part of state-owned Radio dffusion Nationale Khmere in 1970, operating 12 to 14 hours daily, with advertising as its primary income. Its studios were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
in 1975, halting the role of television during the Khmer Rouge era.
In 1983, the government launched another station, TVK, under the Vietnamese-backed People's Republic of Kampuchea regime. TVK was initially launched on 1 March 1985. It began broadcasting in color from 1986. There was only one station until the late 1990s, when private companies began to launch their own stations.
All of these stations have local programming, including serials, variety shows and game shows. Thai soap operas (dubbed in Khmer
Khmer language
Khmer , or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. It is the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language , with speakers in the tens of millions. Khmer has been considerably influenced by Sanskrit and Pali, especially in the royal and religious...
) were extremely popular, until a backlash following the 2003 Phnom Penh riots
2003 Phnom Penh riots
In January 2003, a Cambodian newspaper article falsely alleged that a Thai actress claimed that Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand. Other Cambodian print and radio media picked up the report and furthered the nationalistic sentiment which resulted in riots in Phnom Penh on January 29 where the Thai...
, after which Thai programs were banned.
Cable television, including UBC programming from Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
as well as other satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
networks, is also widely available in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. Many people in Cambodia do not watch Cambodia-produced television, instead applying for UBC from Thailand to view Thai programs. Cambodians living abroad can watch Khmer television content via Thaicom
Thaicom
Thaicom is the name of a series of communications satellites operated out of Thailand and the name of Thaicom Public Company Limited, which is the company that owns and operates the THAICOM satellite fleet and other telecommunication businesses in Thailand and throughout the...
from Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
Most television networks in Cambodia shut down in the evening. Since 2008, the government have allowed TV channels to close at 12.00 a.m. (midnight) and resume at 6.00 a.m..
During March 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011, under the logo of TVK will have text "25ឆ្នាំ", which is pronounced as "25 Chnam", which means "25 Years", is 25 years of TVK.
List of terrestrial television stations
There are 11 TV stations nationwide, including two relay stations with French, Thai and Vietnamese broadcasts, as well as 12 regional low-power stations (as of 2006). They include:Native Khmer stations
There are Nine terrestrial television stations in Cambodia- TV3 Cambodia
- Apsara Television (TV11)http://www.apsaratv.com.kh - Broadcasts each day from 4:30am to 10:00pm.
- Bayon TelevisionBayon TelevisionBayon Television is a major television and radio operator in Cambodia. It was established in 1998.Bayon broadcasts from its main station in Phnom Penh but also has 4 sub-stations in Kampong Cham, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Stung Treng...
(Channel 27) - Cambodia's only UHFUltra high frequencyUltra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel. Based in Kandal ProvinceKandal ProvinceKandal is a province of Cambodia. Its capital is Ta Khmao town . The province completely surrounds, but does not include, the national capital Phnom Penh...
, it is managed by Hun Mana, daughter of Prime MinisterPrime Minister of CambodiaThe Prime Minister of Cambodia , is the head of government of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Prime Minister is appointed by the King under Article 119 of the Constitution and is responsible for leading the government of the Kingdom.-Constitutional powers:The powers of the Prime Minister are established...
Hun SenHun SenHun Sen is the current Prime Minister of Cambodia.He has been the sole leader of the Cambodian People's Party , which has governed Cambodia since the Vietnamese-backed overthrow of the Khmer Rouge in 1979...
. - Cambodian Television NetworkCambodian Television NetworkCambodian Television Network was launched in March 2003 as a joint venture between local conglomerate the The Royal Group and Stockholm-based Modern Times Group, this free-to-air terrestrial television channel Cambodian Television Network is now part of Mobitel...
(CTN); formerly Television Cambodia Network (TCN) - Khmer Television (CTV9)
- National Television of Cambodia (TVK)
- Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Television (TV5) - Broadcasts 17.5 hours from 6.30 a.m. to midnight.
- MYTV
- SEATV (South east Asia Television)
Other countries' stations available relaying through embassies
- TV5 France (French embassy)
- TV3 ThailandChannel 3 (Thailand)Thailand Colour Television Channel 3 is a Thailand television channel. The headquarters are located in Bangkok, Thailand. The channel was established in 1970.The owner of the channel is BEC-TERO.- Ident :-Broadcast times:...
(Thai embassy) - TV7 Thailand (Thai embassy)
- Modernine TVModernine TVModernine TV, formerly known as MCOT Channel 9, is a Thailand television channel. The headquarters are located in Bangkok, Thailand. The channel began operation as Thai TV Channel 4 on 24 June 1955 and its the first television channel on air in Thailand....
(Thai embassy) - Thai PBS (Thai embassy)
- VTV3VTV3VTV3 is a substation operated and owned by Vietnam Television. It is launched in 1996 and operates 24 hours since 2003. It is the sports television....
(Vietnamese embassy)
There are also regional relay stations for various channels in Mondulkiri
Mondulkiri
- References :...
, Preah Vihear, Ratanakiri
Ratanakiri
Ratanakiri is a province in northeastern Cambodia that borders Laos to the north, Vietnam to the east, Mondulkiri Province to the south, and Stung Treng Province to the west. The province extends from the mountains of the Annamite Range in the north, across a hilly plateau between the Tonle San...
, Siem Reap
Siem Reap
Siem Reap is the capital city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia, and is the gateway to Angkor region.Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market...
and Sihanoukville
Sihanoukville
Sihanoukville , also known as Kampong Saom, is a province in southern Cambodia on the Gulf of Thailand. This port city is a growing Cambodian urban center, located southwest of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. The province is named after King Father Norodom Sihanouk and grew up around the...
. But TVK does not have the relay stations, instead, they made the local stations.
Cable television providers
- DTV STAR Co., Ltd (TV, Internet, IP Phone)
- Cambodian Cable Television (CCTV)
- Phnom Penh Cable TelevisionPhnom Penh Cable TelevisionPhnom Penh Cable Television, also known as PPCTV, is a direct-to-home cable TV and subscription service included MMDS TV, Fiber Optic and Internet Service, established by Phnom Penh Municipal Cable Television...
(PPCTV) - Teesat (joint venture with Europe)
Cambodian Television in the future
In 2015, Cambodian televisions will be switched to DVB-TDVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
from suggestion by ASEAN.
Radio
Cambodia has two AMAM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
stations and at least 52 FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
stations
List of radio stations
- Phnom Penh Radio FM 103 MHz
- Radio Love FM 97.5 MHz - Cambodia's only local full-time English-languageEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
western pop music radio station. - Radio Australia 101.5 FM Phnom Penh & Siem Reap available 24 hours a day
- BBC World Service Radio FM 100. Broadcasting 24 hours a day. Available in and around Phnom Penh (2007).
- Apsara Radio FM 97 MHz
- National Radio Kampuchea (RNK) AM 918 kHz and FM 96
- Radio Beehive FM 105 MHz
- Radio FM 90 MHz
- Radio FM 99 MHz
- Voice of America(VOA):www.voanews.com/khmer
- Radio Free AsiaRadio Free AsiaRadio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that operates a radio station and Internet news service. RFA was founded by an act of the US Congress and is operated by the Broadcasting Board of Governors . The RFA is supported in part by grants from the federal government of the United States...
- Radio Khmer FM 107 MHz
- Radio Sweet FM 88 MHz
- Royal Cambodia Armed Forces Radio FM 98 MHz
- Women's Radio FM 102 MHz of Women's Media Centre of CambodiaWomen's Media Centre of CambodiaThe Women's Media Centre of Cambodia , commonly known as WMC or best known by its radio channel Women's Radio, FM102 or FM102 , is a Cambodian non-governmental, non profit media organization...
- Using media to promote social change in Cambodian society. - Sarika FM 106.5 MHz
Newspapers
There are more than 100 newspapers in Cambodia, however few maintain regular publication schedules and have paid staff. Many newspapers are run by political parties or individual politicians, so coverage is often slanted. Reporters will sometimes demand payments from their sources to keep unfavorable stories, whether true or not, out of the paper.However, reporters for the established vernacular dailies and journalists working for wire services and the foreign-language press, generally keep to a standard of ethics.
National mass-circulation dailies
- Chakraval Daily
- Kampuchea Thmei Daily
- Kampuchea Thnai Nes (Cambodia Today)
- Kanychok Sangkhum
- Koh Santepheap (Island of Peace) http://www.kohsantepheapdaily.com.kh/
- Moneaksekar Khmer (Khmer Conscience) - Published by the Sam RainsySam RainsySam Rainsy is a Cambodian politician.Sam Rainsy was born in Phnom Penh, son of Sam Sary, a member of Cambodia's government for a time in the 1950s. He moved to France in 1965, studied there and then worked in a variety of Parisian financial companies...
Party. - Rasmei Kampuchea (Light of Kampuchea) - Cambodia's largest daily, it circulates about 18,000 copies.
- Samleng Yuvachun (Voice of Khmer Youth)
- Udomkate Khmer (Khmer Ideal)
- Wat Phnom Daily
English-language newspapers
- Business News
- The Cambodia DailyThe Cambodia DailyThe Cambodia Daily is Cambodia's first English-language daily newspaper. It was started in 1993 by Bernard Krisher, an American journalist. Krisher hired two young and relatively inexperienced journalists, Barton Biggs and Robin McDowell, as the paper's first editors. The first issue was published...
- Cambodia's first English-language daily with selected Khmer translations. - The Mekong Times - English (week) daily paper with Khmer translations. Publication of this paper has ceased temporarily, as advised by email to its subscribers on 19 August 2008.
- The Mirror - Published by Open Forum of Cambodia, this is a weekly English-language overview of the Khmer-language press. Also publishes a weekly Khmer summary called Kanychok Sangkhum. http://www.forum.org.kh/
- Phnom Penh PostPhnom Penh PostThe Phnom Penh Post is a daily English-language newspaper published in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Founded in 1992 by publisher Michael Hayes, it is Cambodia's oldest English-language newspaper. It is printed in full-color tabloid format. The Phnom Penh Post is also available in Khmer language...
- Cambodia's oldest English-language paper. Originally fortnightFortnightThe fortnight is a unit of time equal to fourteen days, or two weeks. The word derives from the Old English fēowertyne niht, meaning "fourteen nights"....
ly, it is now daily.
English-language magazines
- Lady Penh - handy weekly event guide for Phnom Penh (December 201). High circulation. http://www.ladypenh.com/
- Bayon Pearnik - Mixes humor and satire about current affairs in Cambodia with critical commentary and adventure-travel information. http://www.bayonpearnik.com/
- Visitors Guide - Publishes separate guides for Phnom PenhPhnom PenhPhnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
, Siem ReapSiem ReapSiem Reap is the capital city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia, and is the gateway to Angkor region.Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market...
and SihanoukvilleSihanoukvilleSihanoukville , also known as Kampong Saom, is a province in southern Cambodia on the Gulf of Thailand. This port city is a growing Cambodian urban center, located southwest of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. The province is named after King Father Norodom Sihanouk and grew up around the...
. http://www.canbypublications.com - Cambodia Pocket Guide - a series of pocket-sized tourist guides that includes articles relating to travel, entertainment, nightlife and so forth. http://www.cambodiapocketguide.com
- Southeastern Globe - A monthly magazine covering CambodiaCambodiaCambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and Southeast AsiaSoutheast AsiaSoutheast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. - AsiaLIFE GuideAsiaLIFE GuideAsiaLIFE Guide is an English-language lifestyle magazine published in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.- History :Originally established as AsiaLIFE Phnom Penh in December 2006 by Mark Jackson, Jonny Edbrooke and Nick Ross, Asia Life is the leading English-language lifestyle magazine in the Cambodian capital...
Phnom Penh - A monthly lifestyle magazine for Phnom PenhPhnom PenhPhnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
and regional CambodiaCambodiaCambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
with sections on food, drink, the arts, travel, shopping, leisure and business.http://www.asialifeguide.com - Economics Today - A bi-monthly publication focusing on business and economics in Cambodia.
- Coastal - a free 6-monthly publication with tourist information about Cambodia's coastal tourist towns. http://www.coastal-cambodia.com
- Voucher Guide - A handy booklet with maps of 7 towns, discount coupons, a calendar, note book, ... http://www.discount-cambodia.com
French-language newspapers
- Cambodge Nouveau - Published monthly.
- Cambodge Soir - Established in 1995 and published weekly but recently closed down.
See also
- Communications in CambodiaCommunications in CambodiaCommunications in Cambodia specifically the postal, telegraph and telegram services are regulated under the Ministry of Telecommunications, transport and posts were restored throughout most of the country in the early 1980s during the People's Republic of Kampuchea regime after being disrupted...
- Agence Khmer Presse
- Cinema of CambodiaCinema of CambodiaCinema in Cambodia began in the 1950s, and many films were being screened in theaters throughout the country by the 1960s, which are regarded as the "golden age"...
- Current events in Southeast Asia
- Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, CambodiaMinistry of Culture and Fine Arts, CambodiaThe Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts is the government ministry with a mandate to promote, encourage and support the fine arts of Cambodia....
External links
- 2005 report by Reporters Without BordersReporters Without BordersReporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
- Television stations in Cambodia