After 49 years, Israel's Channel One was abruptly pulled off the air by the government
An Israeli television news anchor got tearful reporting her own show's sudden cancellation on air. Geula Even fought back tears after learning it would be her last show on Israel's Channel One after the government abruptly decided to shut it down.
In a video clip of the exact moment she finds out what is happening, the visibly stunned anchor says: "We are now getting breaking news, a statement in Parliament...Actually, tonight will be our last news programme."
"This is our last edition," she continues in a shaky voice. "So the rest of this programme is irrelevant."
"And at the end of the day a lot of people are going to lose their jobs," she goes on to say. "I hope they find new jobs and public broadcasting continues to be strong. And if it exists in a different format."
The 55-second clip was posted on Channel One's official Facebook page on May 9. It has since been watched over 345,000 times. The video has been shared over 1,950 times and collected over 4,700 reactions.
According to the
BBC, employees of the television channel were aware of the government's plans to close the state-run Israel Broadcasting Authority, but were not expecting it to be shut down so suddenly.
The employees of Israel's first news channel thought their last broadcast was to be on May 15, reports the
Times of Israel. They closed the nightly news with a rendition of the national anthem, with many weeping openly.
The Daily Mail reports that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suddenly shut down the state-run broadcaster following a political battle. Mr Netanyahu has said the shutdown is part of reforms to create a new replacement organisation. However, the channel's staff and opposition lawmakers accuse him of trying to "control the media."
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