The iTV was initially scheduled to go off their broadcast after midnight of Wednesday after Council of State ruled that Public Relations Department could run the station after its contract with PM's Office was terminated on Tuesday.

Chulayuth quoted Surayud as saying that there would not be shutting down of the iTV programmes.

The Public Relations Department (PRD) vows not to interfere in editorial independence and programming of iTV after it steps in to manage the beleaguered station.

PRD director general Pramoj Rathanavinij gave the assurance Wednesday after the Council of State Wednesday ruled the PRD should be able to operate the iTV station.

The station has to come under the PM's Office, which oversees the PRD, following the station's failure to pay more than Bt100billion in concession fees and fines.

Meechai Ruchuphan, who chairs a panel of the Council of State, said his agency was going to inform the PM's Office of the legal interpretation of the case Wednesday afternoon.

The embattled iTV station will go off when Wednesday passed by.

PM's Office, which took back the station from the private concessionaire, Tuesday asked the Council of State to determine whether it could assign PRD to operate the station.

PRD said it would ask a budget of Bt90 million to operate iTV.

The Nation