The Thai Public Broadcasting Service, or Thai PBS , is a public broadcasting service in Thailand. It was established by the Thai Public Broadcasting Service Act, BE 2551 (2008), which came into force on 15 January 2008. Under this act, Thai PBS holds the status of state agency with legal personality, but is not a government agency or state enterprise.
Thai PBS operates Thai PBS (ไทยพีบีเอส), which was formerly known as iTV, TITV and TV Thai television station, respectively. Thai PBS is a public television station broadcasting on UHF Channel 29. The station broadcasts on a frequency formerly held by the privately run channel, iTV. Thai PBS tested its broadcast by connecting to a temporary signal for broadcasting to the special programs chart which had been appropriated by Television of Thailand (TVT or TV 11 Thailand) at TVT New Phetchaburi Road Broadcasting Station. (Presently National News Bureau of Thailand headquarters and NBT World TV Station and formerly UHF Channel 29, from 15 to 31 January 2008. Programs began on 1 February 2008.)
History
The iTV years
Discussion of a public television station in Thailand began in the aftermath of the "Bloody May" crackdown on anti-government protests in 1992, in which the need was expressed for a TV station that would broadcast news and information free from state intervention. The resulting public debate gave rise to iTV, a privately owned channel which started broadcasting in 1995 under a 30-year state concession.