Televisión station RCTV Internacional, which could be forced to stop broadcasts on cable and satellite television at midnight Wednesday, claimed that the Venezuelan government has intensified "persecution" against "independent" news media outlets.

In a call to the "domestic and foreign public opinión" released on Wednesday, the network stressed that "persecution against independent news media outlets in Venezuela is continuing and raging."

"Lacking any legal grounds and blatantly" the Venezuelan government wants RCTV Internacional to enroll as a domestic audiovisual producer or change its programming in order to continue to operate, said RCTV Internacional, the corporation that emerged after RCTV was forced to stop broadcasts on open signal following President Hugo Chávez government decision not to renew the broadcast license for the 53-year-old channel, Efe reported.

RCTV will be off the air on cable and satellite television at midnight on Wednesday, if it fails to register as domestic audiovisual producer Wednesday and the deadline is not extended, said sources with the Venezuelan Subscriber Television Chamber.

The sources added that the chamber is mediating to find a solution before the deadline expires, but warned that there is no certainty that a meeting is held to address this issue or that an agreement is reached between RCTV Internacional and the Nacional Telecommunications Commission (Conatel) if such a meeting takes places.