THE CORRUPTING AND CRIMINOGENIC INFLUENCE OF THE MASS COMMUNICATION MEDIA, ESPECIALLY TELEVISION, IN CAPITALIST COUNTRIES LIKE VENEZUELA, UNFAVORABLY COMPARED TO THE SOUND AND UPLIFTING INFLUENCE OF TELEVISION PROGRAMS IN SOCIALIST COUNTRIES. IN POLAND, FOR INSTANCE, TELEVISION IS AN INFORMAL CONTROL OF POPULAR BEHAVIOR, AND IT AIMS AT PROMOTING TRUE COMMUNITY INTERESTS. VENEZUELAN TELEVISION, IN ADDITION TO BEING PRIVATELY OWNED AND OPEN TO COMMERCIAL INTERESTS, IS DOMINATED BY FOREIGN, CHIEFLY AMERICAN, CORPORATIONS. ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE EVIDENCE THAT TELEVISION PROGRAMS ACTUALLY CREATE DEVIANT AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, THEY DO CREATE A CRIMINOGENIC ATMOSPHERE BY DISTORTING MORAL VALUES AND FOSTERING WESTERN-STYLE COMPETITIVE AGRESSION. TOTALLY DIVORCED FROM VENEZUELAN NATIONAL REALITIES, TELEVISION PROGRAMS PARADE WHITE, BLOND, RICH, AND ELEGANT CHARACTERS BEFORE A CHIEFLY DARK-SKINNED, OFTEN POOR, NATIVE VENEZUELAN AUDIENCE. THUS CULTURAL DEPENDENCE ON A FOREIGN COUNTRY IS PERPETUATED BY MEANS OF ALIEN STEREOTYPES. THE VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT RHEORETICALLY OWNS ALL MASS MEDIA, WHILE RESERVING THE RIGHT TO OCCASIONALLY LEASE BROADCASTING RIGHTS TO PRIVATE PARTIES. IN REALITY, HOWEVER, THE VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT HAS YIELDED TOTAL CONTROL OVER THE MASS MEDIA TO PRIVATE AND FOREIGN INTERESTS. A RETURN OF THE OWNERSHIP OF THE LOCAL MASS MEDIA TO THE GOVERNMENT IS NEEDED. A TOTAL RESTRUCTURING OF TELEVISION PROGRAMMING SHOULD HELP THE REALITIES OF THE HISTORICAL MOMENT AND THE TRUE NATIONAL AND POPULAR INTERESTS OF THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE. AN EXAMINATION OF THE THREE TYPES OF TELEVISION CONTROL IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES: (1) STATE-OWNED, OR OPERATED BY PUBLIC CORPORATIONS; (2) MIXED OWNERSHIP (GOVERNMENT AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR EXERCISE EFFECTIVE MUTUAL CONTROL); AND (3) PRIVATE SECTOR OWNERSHIP (FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM) SHOWS THAT VENEZUELA IS CLASSIFIED UNDER THE THIRD CATEGORY. VENEZUELAN TELEVISION SHOWS WITH LOCAL ACTORS AND EDUCATIONAL CONTENT, PERHAPS SPONSORED BY LOCAL UNIVERSITIES, WOULD HELP ACHIEVE TRUE FREEDOM AND NATIONAL IDENTITY BY MEANS OF ENLIGHTENED STATE CONTROL. TABLES ON VENEZUELAN TELEVISION PROGRAMS AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE APPENDED. --IN SPANISH (LGR)