Israel broadcasting authority

Bill proposal to privatize Kan passes ministerial committee

According to the bill, Kan will no longer be allowed to broadcast "news and current events" on television or radio.

 View of the offices of Israel's public broadcaster KAN in Jerusalem. January 31, 2023.
 COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER Shlomo Karhi attends a Knesset National Security Committee meeting, last month. He should be congratulated for his persistence and success in taking down a channel that supports Hamas, the writer argues.

Karhi says he will not follow High Court orders, after court blocks dismantling of KAN

 The Knesset Economic Committee meets at the Knesset in Jerusalem, December 18, 2024.

Karhi presents revamped program for partial Kan privatization

 A street advertisement for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 24, 2019

Israel's participation in Eurovision under threat due to KAN's privatization


Protesters chain themselves to Communications Ministry calling for free press

Opposition leader Yesh Atid MK Yair Lapid previously called the bill an "an attack on Israeli democracy and on Israeli freedom of expression."

 Protesters dressed as news channels hang themselves outside the Communications Ministry, protesting for free speech

Editor's Notes: Kan needs reform, not destruction—it’s both flawed and essential

Kan’s budget is a hefty NIS 800 million a year - but public broadcasting isn’t about competing with commercial channels, it’s about amplifying voices.

 Ultra-Orthodox Jews protest outside the studios of the Public Broadcasting Corporation KAN, in Jerusalem, on August 17, 2020

Israeli minister accuses Kan's Arabic-Language channel of violating the law

The allegations come amidst growing concern regarding the channel's editorial choices and narratives.

 Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi attends digital journalism Conference at the Reichman University in Herzliya, January 9, 2023.

Why the new Spinoza documentary is especially relevant today

“I didn’t realize how relevant his work is to the reality of today, the struggle between religious conservatism and forces of free thought and liberalism..."

 Artist Itamar Mendes Flohr

'A master of words': Israeli author Meir Shalev dies at 74

He was a jack-of-all-trades in the media world, working as an author for radio and television alike, as well as a regular contributor and columnist to several newspapers and magazines.

PJ Library authors meet Israeli author Meir Shalev, whose books have been translated into 26 languages.

Broadcast calling for delay of judicial reforms censored by the Second Authority

The Second authority deemed events shown in the clip, including PM Rabin's murder, too 'controversial' and did not allow it to be broadcast.

 Israelis protest against the government’s proposed judicial reforms in Tel Aviv on February 4.

Public broadcasting like KAN is key to a democracy - editorial

We endorse the president’s support for the broadcaster - our democracy needs a diversity of programming.

FILE PHOTO: Employees work in the offices of Kan, the new Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, in Tel Aviv, Israel November 3, 2016.

Herzog comes out in support of public broadcasting amid shutdown plans

Herzog expressed the importance of public broadcasting, especially with upcoming political anniversaries.

FILE PHOTO: Employees work in the offices of Kan, the new Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, in Tel Aviv, Israel November 3, 2016.

Grapevine February 1, 2023: A clenched fist

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

 PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG with Magen David Adom paramedic Fadi Dekidek.

Will Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation be closed by budget cuts?

The situation with the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation is déjà vu for those who remember the fate of the Israel Broadcasting Authority.

 An emergency meeting of the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation, on January 23, 2023.

Communications Min: Public broadcasting budget to be massively reduced

Karhi and the Likud have spoken in the past about their intention to privatize Kan and open it to competition.

Likud MK Shlomo Karhi