A weekly television and radio address by the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, is due to become a daily show, albeit in a shortened version. Since 1999, his four-hour programme, Alo Presidente, has run on Sundays. It will now become a 90-minute TV show broadcast on Thursdays, with a live radio show on the other weekdays. Mr Chavez will continue to highlight what he says are the achievements of his administration, as well as openly insulting his political enemies.
For thousands of his supporters in Venezuela, Alo Presidente's familiar theme music is a cue to tune in to see what is, undoubtedly, a colourful show. Mr Chavez uses the programme to celebrate his political agenda, to announce ad-hoc policies and to insult his opponents, most often President George W Bush. He also takes calls from members of the public on Alo Presidente, to discuss their grievances and supposedly solve them live on air.