Sorrayuth goes off camera (Updated)

Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda was nowhere to be seen this morning as his morning show continued without him. Yesterday, the news anchor said he was stepping down from his role as a new anchor

Friday morning update

Sorrayuth quits anchor role

Advertiser exodus spurs news host exit

POST REPORTERS

Bowing to increasing public pressure, embattled TV news anchor Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda decided yesterday to quit his role as a news show presenter after he was convicted and sentenced for embezzling ad revenue from MCOT.

The move came after several companies withdrew advertising from TV programmes hosted by Sorrayuth, as media profession bodies, academics and anti-corruption advocates urged him to step down and demonstrate responsibility after the Criminal Court sentenced him to 13 years and four months in prison on Monday.

"Starting this evening [March 3], I quit my duty as a TV host to prevent any impact on Channel 3, and to make everyone happy. Thanks to the Channel 3 family. Thanks to the fans. Thanks for the support. Until we meet again," Sorrayuth wrote on his @sorrayuth9111 Instagram account.

Sorrayuth hosted his morning news talk programme yesterday but Teera Tanyapaibul took over with other co-hosts for the evening news show.

Following Sorrayuth's decision to step down, Pitchayatun Chanphut, or Nong Bright, his co-host on the morning news talks programme, wrote on her Instagram account giving Sorrayuth her moral support. Sorrayuth is not only her colleague, but also like a brother, she said.

"I will wait for the day when I co-host the programme with you again to make our news family perfect as before," she said.

Channel 3 source said the channel's executives would not find anyone to replace Sorrayuth to host his news programmes. The channel's management has allowed Sorrayuth's news team to decide how to handle the programmes themselves, the source said.

The programmes hosted by Sorrayuth are Rueng Lao Chao Nee morning news, the news talk programme Rueng Den Yen Nee (The Top Story This Evening), and the Rueng Lao Sao Arthit news talk show on Saturdays and Sundays.

The public relations section of Total Access Communication Plc yesterday said that the company has withdrawn sponsorship for three TV programmes produced by Rai Som Co and hosted by Sorrayuth, a DTAC public relations source told the Bangkok Post.

According to Dailynews Online, Thanat Thanakitamnuay, the son of Kitti Thanakitamnuay, chief executive of SET-listed property developer Noble Development Plc, also confirmed the company had withdrawn advertising from all of Sorrayuth's programmes.

Mr Thanat said the company would not advertise with Channel 3 until the channel takes Sorrayuth off the air. He said his father has taken a stance against corruption and that the company will not support any media outlets, programmes or show hosts who are involved in graft.

Evening update

Sorrayuth steps down

Late this afternoon and will little warning, Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda announced though Instagram that he was stepping down from his role as TV host. He said he wanted to avoid any adverse impact on Channel 3  and for the satisfaction of all sides. He thanked the Channel 3 news operation, his fans and all who had given him moral support.

He ended by saying "until we meet again" which had the radio commentators I was listening to speculating as to exactly what he meant. His appeal to the courts could last many years.

Here is something to consider. Sorrayuth is currently almost 50 years old. If he loses his appeal and he takes the case to the Supreme Court, a final decision might be at least five years away. That would make him 55. If he then goes to jail and serves his full term, he would be 68 when he is freed. Thus, you can understand why he is so reluctant to give up his position.

Latest and unconfirmed: Sorrayuth's current co-anchor Pitchayatun Chanphut, or Nong Bright, will be teaming with long-time team-member Kuk Krittika to do tomorrow morning's show.

Morning story

TV anchor Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda this Thursday morning continued to defy calls for him to step down after a Monday Criminal Court verdict against him in which he was sentenced to more than 13 years in jail.

While he does seem to have grounds for appeal – he has previously  won a lawsuit against MCOT in the Administrative Court over the advertising revenue dispute, for example, – his critics say he should stay off the air until court proceedings are finished.

It appears only pressure from advertising can get that done, but this morning his Rueng Lao Chao Nee programme still seemed filled with ads, many touting prominent consumer products.

Saha drops ads over Sorayuth

ACT plans to urge viewers to boycott anchor's programmes

PITSINEE JITPLEECHEEP,
ARIANE KUPFERMAN-SUTTHAVONG

Saha Group, the country's largest consumer product conglomerate, has begun withdrawing advertising from TV programmes hosted by Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda following his conviction and sentencing on Monday over a TV ad revenue scam.

Some subsidiaries of Saha Group started cancelling advertising on Tuesday, a source at the company said. The move is in line with ethics principles of the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT), of which it is a member.

"We have no intention to rub salt into the wounds of anyone," the source said, referring to Sorrayuth.

"Not only Saha Group pursues such practices, but other companies which are ACT members must also follow suit."

The ACT has also been talking with other private companies in its network, encouraging them to stop sponsoring Sorrayuth's TV programmes.

In a statement released yesterday, the ACT called for Sorrayuth to step down from his role as anchor until judicial procedures are concluded. The TV anchor has insisted on appealing the case.

Mana Nimitmongkol, the ACT's secretary-general, said ACT mechanisms include refraining from placing advertisements with the channel or production companies owned by Sorrayuth.

However, he said that good cooperation and a strong position are crucial for the campaign to succeed, as the boycott depends entirely on companies' willingness to participate.

The ACT intends to call on viewers to shun the anchor's TV shows regardless of their personal preferences, he said.

Thai people tend to complain that there is corruption among politicians or state officials, he said. However, he argued that they should be watchful of the private sector and civil society too.

Meanwhile, the Media Agency Association of Thailand (MAAT) yesterday released a statement saying its members base their business on the number of TV viewers or ratings.

Any client who wants to cancel their programme adverts must provide written notification to the media agency so they can find alternatives, it says.

MAAT president Wannee Rattanapol said yesterday some companies that had already placed advertisements on Sorrayuth's programmes had started to cancel.

This occurred because the programme's host violated media ethics and failed to run a transparent business, she said.

Sorrayuth and his company, Rai Som, were found guilty of cheating the Mass Communications Organisation of Thailand (MCOT) out of more than 138 million baht in advertising revenue during his news talk programme on Channel 9 in 2005 and 2006 by bribing an MCOT employee to conceal records of extra advertising.

He was sentenced to 13 years and four months in prison and was released on bail. He is appealing the ruling.

Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya has warned state officials invited on TV programmes hosted by Sorrayuth to use their discretion in deciding whether to appear.

His comments came one day after the Revenue Department's director-general, Prasong Poontaneat, appeared in an interview on an evening news programme hosted by Sorrayuth.

Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the government has checked and found that Mr Prasong's interview was taped before the court ruling but was aired on Tuesday.

"The government honours the court's ruling and respects society's wish to build up good governance and ethics in this country," he said.

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