CNBC Dumps FBC Media ! Exclusive
By Sarawak Report
The global news broadcaster CNBC has axed its flagship business show World Business, following an exclusive expose earlier this week by Sarawak Report.[see previous story]
We revealed how BN politicians, including the Prime Minister Najib Razak, Abdullah Badawi and Taib Mahmud have been paying the production company, the UK-based FBC Media, millions of ringgit of taxpayers’ money to buy them positive publicity on the show.
Allowing slots to be purchased in this way, deceiving millions of viewers who thought they were watching impartial programming, is a serious breach of broadcasting laws, for which broadcasters such as CNBC’s parent company, the American broadcasting giant NBC, would be held ultimately responsible.
Last night the company’s acting chief executive, Charlotte Westgate, made this statement to Sarawak Report confirming the decision to withdraw the show:
“In light of serious questions raised last week, CNBC immediately initiated an examination of FBC and its business practices and has withdrawn the programme ‘World Business’ indefinitely.”
Further questions to answer
The BBC, who also carry programmes by FBC Media have yet to respond to our enquiries, however it is believed they too have launched an immediate enquiry into the activities of FBC Media. CNN has also carried a number of suspect shows made by FBC, including a number of interviews with Najib by the company’s President John Defterios.
Meanwhile, there remain many questions that the broadcasters still need to answer. According to broadcasting laws it is the broadcast company that is held ultimately responsible by the licencing authorities for the content of their programmes, so how could they have allowed the corruption of one of their top shows by Malaysia’s BN politicians to carry on for so long?
Our key questions are these:
