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Chavez Supporters Defend Venezuela Radio *** CARACAS, Venezuela - Tucked away in one of Caracas' poorest districts, Radio Perola is raising the hackles of Venezuela's big media executives. From a room the size of a walk-in closet, Radio Perola - and dozens of other small, government-sponsored stations - broadcast programs supporting President Hugo Chavez and his self-proclaimed revolution. Chavez argues the stations counter opposition-allied commercial broadcast media that don't address issues vital to Venezuela's poor. Media executives argue the unlicensed stations interfere with their signals and are Chavez propaganda machines. "They use frequencies that overlap those of other stations, and all they do is spread government propaganda," said Miguel Martinez, president of the Venezuelan Chamber of Broadcasting Industries.

"We aren't neutral," concedes Radio Perola manager Carlos Carles. "We have a position. It just so happens that most people here in this district support the president." Chavez, a former paratroop commander who was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000, frequently accuses Venezuela's news media of conspiring to overthrow him. Many private broadcasters promoted a recent two-month general strike to demand Chavez quit. Now Congress, dominated by Chavez's ruling party, is considering legislation to strictly regulate broadcast content.

"It's no secret that the private media is against Chavez. That's why the government turns a blind eye to the abuses by pro-Chavez community radio," said opposition lawmaker Alberto Jordan, a member of Congress' media committee. "Many are operating in a clandestine form, moving from place to place so they can't be located." Dominated by ruling party members, the media committee has shelved complaints, said Jordan.

At Radio Perola, disc jockeys spin tunes by the late folk singer Ali Primera, a social activist. Guests announce workshops for single mothers or meetings on neighborhood problems. "Most of our programming focuses on community issues," Carles said in a room sporting photos of Ernesto "Che" Guevara and Chavez and pro-government graffiti.

Licensed private stations complain there are too many loopholes in legislation regulating community radio, and that the government permits abuses. Alvin Lezama, an executive at the state-run communications watchdog, says new rules will allow citizens, rather than the government, to regulate noncommercial stations. "What is the best way to control this? That the communities take possession of these stations," Lezama said. "We have to open channels so consumers control their media outlets because we are never going to have the technology or human resources to do it," added Lezama. "It's a truly revolutionary idea."

The rules put the same limits on signal strength for both commercial and community broadcasters. But community stations routinely exceed those limits. "They are a threat. Our signal has been affected in some cities ... including Caracas and Maracaibo by these community stations," said Antonio Serfati, executive vice president of Union Radio, which broadcasts nationwide. ***

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Chavez Plays Politics - Caught Dry, Venezuelan Hydro-Pwr Dam May Mean Lights Out*** But with the opposition girding to organize a recall referendum on the mandate of President Hugo Chavez, the government appears loathe to require people to cut back on their electricity consumption. Indeed, Roberto Bottome, editor of local economic newsletter VenEconomy, noted that "state-owned (utility) companies don't bill three-quarters of the population, so there's no incentive to conserve." Apart from the capital Caracas, to which AES Corp.'s EDC unit provides thermo-generated electricity, and Margarita Island, Venezuela's electricity supply is generated by public companies badly in need of investment.***