Thai PBS celebrated its 18th anniversary under the theme "Thai PBS: Media for Everyone" at the Convention Hall, Thai PBS Learning Center. The event brought together Board of Governors members, executives, celebrities, and partners from all sectors to mark this milestone.
Navigating Change with Passion and Purpose
Mr. Vanchai Tantivittayapitak, Director General of Thai PBS, outlined the broadcaster's future direction in an era of information overload, increasing AI integration, and constant societal change.
"In this transformative period, Thai PBS will continue to fulfill its role as 'Media for Everyone'—not only reporting facts comprehensively, accurately, and transparently, but standing alongside citizens in every situation and crisis. We serve as a neutral platform for exchanging ideas to collectively build a better future," Mr. Vanchai stated.
Four Pillars of Thai PBS DNA
The anniversary celebration showcased Thai PBS's multifaceted approach through four dimensions:
Fact-focused News – Presented by news anchors Wanvisa Tinawat and Jessada Jeesala, highlighting the DNA of Thai PBS journalism
Fresh Content – Showcasing the talent competition show "Beyond Talent," which airs Saturdays at 4:05 PM on Thai PBS and VIPA, bringing smiles and positive energy to audiences
Friendly to users – With the newly revamped VIPA and main Thai PBS website that are designed to be user-friendly, Thai PBS invested to serve the audience better and ensure accessibility to all.
Future-Ready – Emphasizing VIPA's evolution toward becoming "The Future of Thai Contents Platform," offering quality content and entertainment as a friendly platform accessible to all Thais, anytime, anywhere
Four Election 2026 Media Innovations
Thai PBS announced four innovative initiatives for the upcoming 2026 election:
1. Policy Talk: Policy Watch Connect 2026
Hosted by Nattaya Waeweerakupt, Director of the Social Agenda and Public Policies Communication Center at Thai PBS, featuring live coverage from Sappaya-Sapasathan (Parliament House).
2. Thai PBS Local Voices
'Listening' to every area, reaching every 'voice' across the nation.
3. Thai PBS Tracking POLL
Real-time measurement of political party popularity, presented by Kanokporn Prasitphon, Director of Digital Media, Thai PBS.
4. Thai PBS Verify
Strengthening Thai society's vigilance against misinformation during this critical election period.
We are ready for the next step of public media. Thai PBS will not stop at being just 'TV' but will evolve into a public media platform that truly belongs to all Thai people
Mr. Vanchai emphasized.
Special Panel: "New Media in Abnormal Times"
The anniversary's highlight was a Special Panel Talk examining media's role during extraordinary circumstances, featuring Thailand's leading media executives:
Pranot Wilepsuwan – Chief Content Officer, Thairath TV
Pranot acknowledged the business challenges facing media organizations, noting that media outlets are under financial pressure with digital TV licenses expiring in April 2029. He estimated that of 14 digital TV channels, only half will survive.
We must acknowledge that commercial media needs revenue. Media has close relationships with politicians and must seek government funding. However, in our work, all media must maintain professionalism. There are clear boundaries in our operations. If those lines are crossed, it's something media professionals cannot accept. We can distinguish between the two
- Pranot, addressing questions about media transparency.
Prap Boonpan – Managing Director, Matichon Online
Prap emphasized media's role in helping society reach normalcy while maintaining social balance. He acknowledged the challenges of maintaining pure journalistic standards while operating a media business.
As a media business operator, we must admit it's difficult to create a 100% pure truth space due to constraints. Today, professional media standards are sometimes compromised—we must acknowledge this. But truth remains our highest priority. The advantage of the Matichon network is having multiple news outlets, allowing us to manage media operations and balance different roles
Prap explained.
Karuna Buakamsri – Host of 'Question Time' on Thai PBS
Karuna highlighted the unique challenges Thai PBS faces as a public broadcaster in a rapidly changing media landscape.
Thai PBS's challenges are no less demanding than commercial media. In the past, media work wasn't complex. Today, we must think more carefully. There's an overwhelming amount of information and fierce competition. Meanwhile, Thai PBS must remain committed to filtering accurate information, fact-checking comprehensively, and presenting all-encompassing viewpoints while making complex issues understandable for the public
- Karuna
Sathian Wiriyapanpong – Assistant Managing Director, News Division, PPTV HD 36
Sathian expressed support for Thai PBS's mission, viewing it as complementary rather than competitive.
I believe media professionals have social responsibility. Personally, I don't see Thai PBS as a competitor but as a media outlet we want to support. There are many things Thai PBS can do that we might not be able to. We cheer for you to go even further. While business realities have constraints, costs, and burdens, every media outlet must drive its organization toward credibility. For example, some missions we know from day one won't be profitable or meet business objectives, but we choose to do them for professional values. We're confident that what we do builds credibility that can be leveraged further
- Sathian
Thanakorn Wongpanya – Thai News Editor, The Standard
Thanakorn highlighted generational differences in The Standard's young team (average age 26-28 years) and the challenges of sustainable journalism careers.
Everyone knows we've been living in an abnormal world for a long time. Young professionals in this field worry about financial stability. We must anchor organizational values and find balance in wages and benefits so people don't need to seek side income. Therefore, we focus on building a valuable, dignified organization emphasizing transparency. Regarding making news that people should know versus news people want to know—we must find balance. I think making media people watch is already difficult; making AI interested multiplies the difficulty. That's why strengthening our foundation—our website—is what we emphasize because we don't depend on others' mechanisms or tools. However, the future concern is people's behavior: if people stop reading news and use AI to summarize instead, and don't visit platforms, what will happen?
- Thanakorn
A Commitment to Quality Public Service
Thai PBS reaffirmed its commitment to serving as 'Media for Everyone,' operating with dedication, passion, and the heart of public media. The broadcaster pledges to be a media outlet everyone can trust, ready to partner with all sectors to drive Thai society toward a better future.
