Lebanese state television stops broadcasting due to lack of budget

In Lebanon, which is in an economic crisis, the screen of the state television "Tele Liban" went black due to insufficient budget. The state television, which employs hundreds of people, stopped broadcasting as of this morning due to lack of budget. Bilal Shuman, a journalist who has been working as a cameraman at Tele Liban for 40 years, told AA correspondent that Lebanese Information Minister Ziyad Mekari decided to stop broadcasting after the union and the television administration failed to reach an agreement on the budget. Stating that employees have been waiting for a raise in their salaries for 2 years, but there has been no substantial improvement, Shuman said, "Before the crisis (in 2019), my salary was $ 1700. Now I receive $ 30 per month." Stating that approximately 520 people worked at Tele Liban before the economic crisis that broke out in Lebanon in 2019, Shuman said that many employees quit their jobs due to low salaries and insufficient budget. On the other hand, reports in the Lebanese press claimed that Information Minister Mekari decided to close the state television, which has been experiencing problems for a long time due to budgetary reasons. Mekari's office has not yet made an official statement.

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