The National Radio and Television Institute of Peru (Instituto Nacional de Radio y Televisión del Perú, IRTP) is the Peruvian state broadcaster (TNP 29 Dec. 2001). This organization falls under the Ministry of Education (Ministry of Education Dec. 2000, 5) and includes the national radio broadcaster (Radio Nacional) and the national television channel (Canal 7) (TNP 29 Dec. 2001; Elecciones Peru 2000 8 May 2000). The IRTP was officially constituted after its predecessor agency, Peruvian Television, Radio and Cinema (Cine Radio y Televisión Peruana, RTP) was dissolved in 1996 (TNP 29 Dec. 2001). In mid-1997, responsibility for the IRTP was transferred from the Ministry of Transport and Communications to the Ministry of Education (ibid.; AgenciaPeru 19 Feb. 2001).

In its quarterly budgets for the year 2001 published on the National Television of Peru (Television Nacional del Peru, TNP) Website, the IRTP indicated for each period how many private and public sector clients it deals with, the number of radio and television broadcasting and relay stations it operates, and the amount of its "revenue directly collected" (recursos directamente recaudados), "ordinary revenue" (recursos ordinarios) and budgeted expenditures (TNP 1 Mar. 2002).

Details on internal projects carried out in the period 1999-2001 could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

During the 2000 general elections campaign, an opposition congressman, Xavier Barron, filed a complaint before the National Elections Tribunal (Jurado Nacional de Elecciones, JNE) against the IRTP for using Channel 7 to transmit a campaign rally of then-incumbent presidential candidate Alberto Fujimori-reportedly a violation of electoral law which provides that state media cannot benefit or favour a political party (Elecciones Peru 2000 30 Mar. 2000; ibid. 28 Mar. 2000). Following Mr. Barron's complaint, the JNE reportedly requested a report from the heads of the state broadcaster to be handed in within three days (RCP 30 Mar. 2000). However, in mid-April the Peruvian Press Council (Consejo de la Prensa Peruana, CPP), an association of private media established to watch over freedom of the press and other issues (CPP 14 Mar. 2002), reported that the JNE did not even issue a statement in regard to the alleged violation by the state channel, but in turn swiftly issued fines to a private channel and a daily newspaper for other alleged violations of electoral law (ibid. 17 Apr. 2000).

One report indicates that Channel 7 was accused of rejecting advertising of the opposition Peru Posible party for the 2000 elections; the president of the IRTP denied those charges, claiming that no representative or agent of that party had visited him to request advertising (Elecciones Peru 2000 8 May 2000).

A journalistic investigation into the relationship between Domingo Palermo, Minister of Education at the time the IRTP was transferred to his ministry, and private broadcasting companies indicates that a former army communications officer, Carlos Alberto Pizano, was appointed general manager of the state television channel (Channel 7) and led the acquisition of significant amounts of production equipment which eventually disappeared (AgenciaPeru 19 Feb. 2001). Pizano was asked to resign by Jorge Trelles, a director who reportedly considered Pizano a "dangerous person" (sujeto peligroso) (ibid.). Pizano reportedly authorized the exit of production equipment from the channel's premises, which was never returned; the following administration has been trying to locate the missing equipment (ibid.).

In May 2000 Jorge Lazarte Conroy reportedly became president of the IRTP; Mr. Lazarte had been a congressional candidate for the then-governing Peru 2000 party (Huellas Electorales 11 May 2000).

The daily La República reports that Ernesto Hermoza was appointed chief executive offcier (presidente ejecutivo) of the IRTP in February 2001; he then named José Watanabe as manager of Channel 7 and Tulio Mora as advisor for Radio Nacional (3 Feb. 2002). In September 2001 Hermoza became advisor to the president and left the CEO position to Carlos Urrutia; Watanabe was appointed managerial advisor and Mora became manager of Radio Nacional (ibid.). La República describes Mora's administration of the national radio broadcaster as "disastrous" (desastrosa), adding that he left the managerial post at the end of January 2002 and became once again an advisor at the IRTP (ibid.).

In October 2001 Minister of Education Nicolas Lynch announced that the IRTP was undergoing a "process of internal renewal" (proceso de renovación interna) since the fall of the Fujimori government, aiming to improve its programming and its function as a public broadcaster; a bill was being prepared, to ensure greater access to civil society and citizens in general to state media (El Peruano 31 Oct. 2001).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

AgenciaPeru, Lima. 19 February 2001. "Las increíbles licencias de Palermo." http://www.agenciaperu.com/investigacion/2001/feb/palerm1b.htm [Accessed 22 Mar. 2002]

Consejo de la Prensa Peruana (CPP), Lima. 14 March 2002. "Qué es el Consejo de la Prensa Peruana?" http://www.consejoprensaperuana.org.pe [Accessed 26 Mar. 2002]

_____. 17 April 2000. "Comunicado." http://www.consejoprensaperuana.org.pe/comunic_16.htm [Accessed 22 Mar. 2002]

Elecciones Peru 2000, Lima. 8 May 2000. "El Comercio: Canal 7 no se ha cerrado a la oposición." http://www1.rcp.net.pe/elecciones/noticias/08052000/c6.htm [Accessed 26 Mar. 2002]

_____. 30 March 2000. "Noticias Electorales: JNE pide informes a RTP sobre transmisión de mitín de Fujimori." http://www.rcp.net.pe/elecciones/noticias/30032000/cambio13.htm [Accessed 22 Mar. 2002]

_____. 28 March 2000. "Periscopio Político: Demanda contra Fujimori." http://www1.rcp.net.pe/elecciones/noticias/28032000/gestion12.htm [Accessed 22 Mar. 2002]

Huellas Electorales 2000, Lima. 11 May 2000. "Jorge Lazarte es el nuevo presidente del Instituto..." http://www.peru.com/ivota/noticias/archivo/index20000511.asp [Accessed 22 Mar. 2002]

El Peruano [Lima]. 31 October 2001. "Estudian que ciudadanía acceda a RTP." http://www.editoraperu.com.pe/edc/01/10/31/pol5.htm [Accessed 22 Mar. 2002]

Ministry of Education, Lima. December 2000. Plan estratégico sectorial multianual 2001-2005 (Reformulación)(Sector Educación. http://www.minedu.gob.pe/gestion_institucional/of_planmedumc/programacion/pesem_2001-2005/pesem_2001-2005.pdf [Accessed 26Mar. 2002]

La República [Lima]. 3 February 2002. "Asesores en el IRTP." http://www.larepublica.com.pe/diario/opinion (Google) [Accessed 22 Mar. 2002]

Televisión Nacional del Perú (TNP), Lima. 1 March 2002. "Indicadores de desempeño." Http://www.tnp.com.pe/irtp/indicador3.htm [Accessed 1 Mar. 2002]

_____. 29 December 2001. "Brever Reseña Histórica." http://www.tnp.cmo.pe/historia.htm [Accessed 1 Mar. 2002]