MBC Kicks Out Main News Anchor
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
MBC, the nation's second largest broadcaster, unseated Shin Kyung-min from his role as anchor of its prime time news program ``News Desk'' Monday, triggering a strong protest from reporters.
The journalists claimed that management has succumbed to pressure from the conservative Lee Myung-bak administration.
MBC President Ohm Ki-young, the former anchor of the primetime news program, denied the allegation. He said the reshuffle was to ``regain'' political balance and credibility. His remarks invited even more criticism from employees.
``Our decision is to upgrade the competitiveness of the program,'' Ohm said in a statement. ``There has been no external political pressure.''
He said News Desk has lagged behind its rival KBS program Nine O'clock News in viewer ratings by a large margin.
However, Ohm decided to keep comedienne-turned-radio presenter Kim Mi-hwa. She has also been on ``a replacement list'' for alleged liberal comments. Radio staff, who had been boycotting production, decided to return to work.
Monday was Shin's last appearance as the anchor of the prime time news program. At the end of the broadcast, he said, ``Following the company's decision, I will be gone. Over the last year, what I have pursued were freedom, democracy, a check on power and sympathy for the socially weak. I have lots of things to say, but I will end my closing comments here.''
Shin had appealed to young and liberal viewers, but failed to attract conservative and older viewers, observers said. He became a household name for a string of sarcastic comments on current issues, mostly targeting the Lee administration's policies.
But his remarks were against both conservatives and libertarians and his ``closing comments'' often became the talk-of-the-town the next day.
The more his words were praised by fans, the more the administration grew uncomfortable. It is claimed that the replacement is an MBC compromise with the administration.
The change has angered the MBC union. A total of 130 reporters and other news staff, including camera crews, have been boycotting production. Many of them passively boycotted reporting by using paid vacation since April 9.
MBC irked the Lee administration when its investigative reporting program, PD Notebook, became a rallying point for candlelit protests against the resumption of U.S. beef imports last year.