KBS 'The Live' Canceled Four Days After New CEO Appointment... Production Team Protests

Posted a statement on the production team's internal bulletin board on the 17th
"Where does the nerve come from to just throw out insincere sentences"

The KBS2 current affairs program 'The Live' has ultimately been confirmed for cancellation after 4 years. The production team demanded the resignation of the programming director who unilaterally decided the suspension and cancellation just four days after President Park Min's inauguration.

According to a statement posted on the company bulletin board by the 'The Live' production team on the 17th, the KBS Programming Headquarters notified through an executive of the production headquarters the previous evening to "replace the program for 4 weeks and officially end it on December 15." The reason given for the termination was that it "does not fit KBS2."

A scene from the current affairs program "The Live" (KBS 2TV) aired on the 9th. [Photo source=YouTube capture]

They then questioned, "Why is there no presentation of what kind of performance 'The Live' showed on 2TV in terms of ratings, topicality, and digital response? Where does the audacity come from to just throw out a careless sentence like 'it does not fit 2TV' without any mention of basic data and performance indicators?"

Previously, 'The Live' had been thriving, ranking first in the current affairs and culture category in last month's Gallup Korea survey on 'Programs Koreans Like.'

The production team argued that the cancellation followed by the termination of 'The Live' violates the KBS broadcasting programming regulations, and therefore, those responsible, including the programming director, must take responsibility and step down.

They also pointed out that the sudden suspension and subsequent cancellation decision of 'The Live' proceeded completely ignoring the production team's intentions. The team stated, "If an emergency reckless decision was made, the company should at least handle the aftermath swiftly, but it seems the company is stalling and employing a no-response strategy. When the union requested an 'emergency fair broadcasting committee' regarding the programming violation, the company pleaded that 'it is difficult to hold the meeting because personnel appointments for the committee participants have not been completed yet."

KBS2 'The Live' logo. [Photo source = Screenshot from the official program website]

They criticized that the management is stalling by using personnel issues as an excuse to delay the emergency fair broadcasting committee (Fair Broadcasting Promotion Committee) requested by the KBS branch of the National Union of Media Workers. They urged, "The programming director should take responsibility for the current situation and step down. The surrounding directors who failed to prevent the programming director from violating the programming regulations should also resign together."

Meanwhile, Article 7 of the broadcasting programming regulations agreed upon by the KBS labor-management states, "Reporting and production staff have the right to know and the right to demand correction regarding program-related decisions that significantly affect the autonomy of production" (Clause 6).

On the KBS viewer petition board, numerous complaints have been filed demanding the resumption of 'The Live' programming. Among them, eight petitions have exceeded the required 1,000 supporters for KBS to respond and are currently awaiting a reply.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.