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Current Status: Inactive

Telam

Télam or Telenoticiosa Americana was an Argentine government-run national news agency founded in April 1945 by then-Secretary of Labor Juan Perón during the presidency of Edelmiro Julián Farrell. The service was suspended in March 2024 by the government of President Javier Milei, who announced during a speech to Congress that he would close what he called “a Kirchnerist propaganda agency.” At the time of suspension, Télam had approximately 700 employees and provided news and information to about 300 subscribers, including government entities and national and international media. Milei’s administration cited losses of AR$20 billion (approximately US$23 million) as justification for the decision to shutter the agency. In July 2024, Télam was officially dissolved and renamed “Agencia de Publicidad del Estado S.A” — or “State Advertising S.A.”

Kabul News TV

Kabul News TV was a Pashto-language television channel based in Afghanistan that operated for approximately one decade before halting operations in November 2022. The channel had broadcast “on a national level and beyond,” according to TOLOnews, which reported that economic challenges were the primary reason for its closure. Hafizullah Barakzai, head of the Council of Afghanistan’s Journalists, stated that “economic challenges” led to the channel’s collapse, reflecting broader difficulties facing Afghan media following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. The channel continues operations only through social media platforms. Its closure occurred amid Afghanistan’s media crisis, with the National Journalists Union reporting that approximately 280 media organizations halted operations in the year following the former government’s fall, leaving around 70 percent of journalists unemployed.

Global CAMG Media

Global CAMG Media Group was an Australian-based media conglomerate that served as the Asia-Pacific arm of China Radio International’s covert global broadcasting network. According to Reuters, the Melbourne-based company had ownership stakes in or supplied programming to at least eight radio stations across the region. The company was 60 percent owned by Guoguang Century Media Consultancy, which was wholly owned by a subsidiary of China’s state-run China Radio International. Led by Tommy Jiang, CAMG operated numerous Chinese-language radio stations and publications across Australia, broadcasting pro-China programming while hiding Beijing’s control of the company.

Spring News Television Network

Spring News was a Thai digital television news channel founded in 2010 and owned by Spring News Television Ltd., a subsidiary of News Network Corporation PCL. The channel began test broadcasts on satellite television on March 5, 2010, with its official launch on December 15, 2010. Spring News won a digital television license for news and information content from Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) in 2013 and began digital terrestrial broadcasting on April 1, 2014, on channel 19. In November 2016, the channel signed a five-year partnership agreement with CNN International through Turner Broadcasting System Asia-Pacific, becoming CNN’s first news affiliate partner in Asia. This partnership included content sharing, staff training, and the adoption of CNN-themed graphics beginning January 1, 2017. Spring News ceased television broadcasting on August 15, 2019, but continues operating as an online news platform under the Nation Group umbrella, maintaining its website and digital news services.

The Busy Weekly

Founded in 2009, “The Busy Weekly” was the only Chinese financial weekly in Malaysia. It is now closed.

Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communication

The Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications, established in December 2007 under Government Decree No. 178/2007/ND-CP, was the government body responsible for managing the country’s information and communication sector. It oversaw areas including press, publishing, postal services, telecommunications, internet, broadcasting, and national information infrastructure. On March 1, 2025, the MIC officially ceased operations following its merger with the Ministry of Science and Technology to form the new Ministry of Science and Technology. The National Assembly approved the appointment of Nguyen Manh Hung as the new minister on February 18, 2025, with the merger taking effect on March 1, 2025, under Government Decree No. 55.

Channel 7

Channel 7, officially Bangkok Broadcasting & Television Company Limited, is Thailand’s pioneering commercial television network that launched on November 27, 1967. The station made history as the first color television broadcaster in Mainland Southeast Asia, initially operating under the name “Bangkok Colour Television Network” using PAL color technology in the CCIR 625-line standard. The inaugural broadcast featured the 1967 Miss Thailand Pageant during the Wachirathon Memorial event at Wang Saran Rom. The network began satellite transmission in 1978, becoming Thailand’s first station to broadcast nationwide via satellite from Bangkok to regional stations. Channel 7 launched its digital HD feed on April 25, 2014, on channel 35 and completely ceased analog broadcasting on June 16, 2018.

The Independent

The Independent was an English-language daily newspaper published in Dhaka, Bangladesh, that launched on March 26, 1995, by Beximco Group, making it the first four-color, 16-page daily in the country and the first to use imported newsprint. The newspaper was owned by Bangladesh Export Import Company Limited, commonly known as Beximco Group, which was founded in the 1970s by brothers Ahmed Sohail Fasihur Rahman and Salman Fazlur Rahman. The Independent introduced Bangladesh’s first 32-page weekend magazine and underwent a rebranding in October 2010 with an enhanced focus on fast and authentic news coverage. The newspaper ceased printed publication in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ceased all operations in 2022.

Fairfax Media Group

Fairfax Media was a major Australian media conglomerate that operated newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and digital properties across Australia and New Zealand from 1841 until its acquisition by Nine Entertainment Co. in December 2018. Founded when John Fairfax purchased The Sydney Morning Herald, the company expanded to control flagship publications including The Age and The Australian Financial Review. Despite its historical significance in Australian journalism, Fairfax faced mounting financial pressures in the digital era, implementing widespread staff cuts and transitioning to paywalls before ultimately losing its independence. The company’s willingness to engage in media partnerships with Chinese state entities, including signing cooperation agreements with China Daily and China Radio International in 2016, reflected broader industry trends of seeking revenue streams amid declining traditional media revenues.