# Top News (Thailand)

Top News (Thai: ท็อปนิวส์) is a Thai digital terrestrial, cable and satellite television channel and all-media news agency in Thailand, operated by Top News Digital Media Co., Ltd., founded by Sonthiyan Chuenruthainaitham and consists of many journalists who left Nation TV in November 2020. The channel is often attacked for its ultranationalist stance and inflammatory news coverage, but the channel insists that it offers the truth in every aspect that will lead to the protection of the country's 3 main institutions.
Top News was founded as Top TV in December 2020, before changing to its current name in 2021. At the time, they negotiated with a number of digital terrestrial television channels, but did not succeed, it was launched as a satellite television station in mid-January, and began broadcasting for the first time on 1 February 2021, broadcasting via a leased signal from TVD10 channel. On the PSI set-top box, it was available on channel 77 and a number of parallel broadcasting on social media. Later, Top News moved its channel to channel 210. It started its digital terrestrial television broadcasts on 18 September 2023 on JKN18, due to its partnership between JKN Global Group and Top News was signed on 11 September of that year. The channel did a parallel broadcast alongside JKN18 from 18 to 30 September of that year. The channel also ceased its cable and satellite broadcasts on 30 September 2023 to transform Top News into a cable, satellite and digital terrestrial television channel which aired on JKN18 only.

## History
### Leaving Nation

In 2020–2021 Protests in Thailand, General Prayut Chan-o-cha in August 2020 met the correspondent of Nation TV. Concealing affiliation and impersonating other channels in interviewing protesters, which Nation TV accepted as true because they were pressured to act as a media that was viewed by the protesters as extremely biased from presenting news to impair the group of demonstrators of a group of personnel on Nation TV thus Consumer Actions went viral on Twitter with hashtags. #BanNationSponsors to cut revenue and pressure the Nation to change the way it presents news. therefore began to have supporters withdraw from the nation greatly affecting the earning of Nation TV.
As a result, the Nation Group had to reform its organization in November to prevent future consumer activities; starting with the appointment of Adisak Limprungpattanakit who has a political ideology that conflicts with a group of personnel Become the Director General of Nation TV Causing the aforementioned personnel to resign from the Nation starting with Sonthiyan Chuenruthainaitham who moved to the Thai direction institute he had previously founded followed by Chatchai Phukokwai, Managing Director of Nation Broadcasting Corporation (a company in Nation Group), Santisuk Marongsri, Anchalee Paireerak, Sathaporn Kuasakul, Ubonrat Thaonoi, Worathep Suwatthanaphim, Theera Thanpaiboon, Kanok Ratwongsakul, and Lakkhana Ratwongsakul.
It is expected that such personnel will host a program on New 18 (currently JKN18) and begin work on December 1. and Santisuk further clarified that he did not negotiate with NEWS1 according to another rumor but negotiated with 4 television stations. and there was another news that they will attend Channel 9 MCOT HD at the invitation of people within the government, making the state enterprise labor union of MCOT prepare an objection But Anchalee denied the rumors
Later on December 4, the group announced that it had acquired a television channel. and wait to hear the conciliation statement On December 8, there was news that the New 18 channel executives had sold the license to the group to manage. And order advertisements from about 6-7 well-known companies, which will generate a total revenue of over 800 million baht and believe that they will not be affected by consumer activities. It began administration on December 21. But Sermsuk Kasitpradit, New 18's editor-in-chief at that time rejected as well as Anchalee who continued Let's postpone the launch of their news team to January 2021

### Top TV

On December 16, 2020, Sonthiyan said In January 2021, it will launch its news team as Top TV, in the meantime, opened the Facebook page Top News Live first and registered the establishment of Top News Digital Media Co., Ltd. on December 18, 2020, with a registered capital of 1,000,000 baht to operate the business of the Top TV news team with Sonthiyan, Chatchai and Lakkhana as judges However, A Voice TV analysis has come out that "Top" here comes from the nicknames of 3 news personnel: T for "Toi" (Sonthiyan), O for "Oui" (Chatchai), and P for "Pong" (Anchalee) However, Top TV itself defines Top as coming from its slogan: "The Truth of Power. "
Later, when entering the year 2021, Top TV changed its name to Top News and opened for 74 positions on January 9 Then, on January 11, Wuttinun Nahim retired. Leaving Nation TV to join Kanok at Top News And on the same day, there was news that PPTV would pull Top News to rent news production time. As a result, the original news department, led by Sathien Viriyaphanpongsa, Vice President of the channel's news department is dissatisfied. If the Top News group really comes in Part of the news department, including Sathian, will resign and return to work with Nation TV, and Khun Buakhamsri, an important news anchor of PPTV, has negotiated with the management himself that he does not want to. for the said group to produce a news item but failed But the next day, January 12, Worathep refused to appear on Suwannabhumi Channel's television program while giving an interview to Anchaleeporn Kusum over the phone. Came in saying that the news that came out above is all fake news means that "End of Channel Eighteen without Channel Thirty-Six" was also in denial of the above news. And wait to follow up on February 1 in new channels.
On January 13, 2021, Sonthiyan announced the official launch of Top News by adhering to presenting the truth to protect the 3 main institutions of the country And scheduled to start broadcasting from February 1, later Santisuk revealed the broadcasting channel that Top News will broadcast on satellite and cable channel number 77 and a number of popular social media Amorn Tae-udomkul, Sirawith Chaikasem and Tawanrung Tiepradit also resigned from New 18 to join Top News as well.
On January 28, 2021, there was another news that Channel 9 MCOT HD would pull the program signal. "Lhao Khao Khon" by Teera and Kanok from Top News come simultaneous broadcast from February 15 Causing the State Enterprise Labor Union of MCOT PLC to prepare to oppose again. But Anchalee and Kanok both rejected them

### TOP News

On January 21, 2021, Top News executives and employees held a sacred sacrificial ceremony at the temporary operating building of Top News, Watcharapol Road, Tha Raeng Subdistrict, Bang Khen District, Bangkok, which TV Direct rented. The executive then gave a sermon to the channel's employees before the news station started broadcasting.
On February 1, 2021, at 00:01, Top News officially opened the station. By transmitting High-definition quality in the form of online streaming. Sending signals via satellite Thaicom 6 in standard definition format. Broadcast on TVD10 which is broadcast via satellite and cable TV on channel number 77 of ABPO Co., Ltd. under the TV Direct network by Top News renting signal one by one and on the channel's main website, including Facebook and YouTube in all items and has started broadcasting according to the program schedule laid out with Ekachai Chaicherchukit as station director In addition, the program "Chao Khao Khem" is broadcast via Department of Military Energy FM 90.5 MHz by broadcasting audio in a parallel format.
On the opening day of the channel, the first program of Top News broadcast exclusively live on all social media channels totaled more than 10,000 people. and since the start of the station able to achieve ratings as the 2nd place in the Non Must-Carry category of satellite television stations after Boomerang and is also #1 in the news and information category for some months as well.
For the name of the television station, from February 1 to March 10, 2021, the channel name is still used as "TVD10" along with the name "Top News" and two logos are displayed simultaneously. Next to the Top News logo on the left is the logo of TVD10 channel, starting from February 1 at 5:09 p.m. in the hot topic program TOP News has made a matter to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to request permission to use the channel name as "Top News" only one name, which the NBTC approved at the 5/2021 meeting. On the same day, took the TVD10 logo off the screen on March 19 at 5:27 p.m. which the said moment is broadcasting on the Hot Issue Dissection (Live Program).
On May 18, 2021, the program "LINE Kanok Yok Siam" with Kanok as the main MC received a budget from Safe and Creative Media Development Fund to add 4.8 million baht to the program.
On September 30, 2021, The TV5 HD press conference to launch a new news program, by collaborating with Galaxy Multimedia Corporation Limited, which is a different entity from Top News in news production and hired a news anchor from Top News Channel to be a news anchor for 7 hours a day on TV5, including broadcasting 3 more programs on TV5 for 1 year, starting from January 3, 2022.
On the night of February 25, 2022, Top News moved its operating building from TV Direct's building in Watcharaphon to a new building on 5 Rai in Thana City Village, Thep Rattana Road Kilometer 14, Bang Chalong Subdistrict, Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan Province which has been changed by cutting the video signal from the TV Direct building to turn on the signal at Bang Phli Studio on the night of February 26 at 00:01 (such time is during the broadcast of the Chinese movie series The Legend of Xhu Zian, according to the normal program schedule of the station) with the first program that started using the new studio was the program "Top News at Noon Weekend".
On March 28, 2022, Galaxy Multimedia Corporation requested to terminate the contract from co-producing news for Channel 5 and return the news anchor back to the Top News program accordingly which will broadcast their program for the last day on March 31, 2022, which is expected to be caused by the chopping off of the signal of the Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5, while the news anchor presents the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the program "Channel 5 Noon News" But on March 31, 2022, the Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5 issued a statement apologizing to the program host and viewers for the discontinuation of the signal. And from the investigation of the Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5, it was found that this was caused by a technical and communication error of the team, Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5 had changed to sign a production contract with Top News directly, and all programs that Galaxy Multimedia Corporation produces for the Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5 continue to broadcast normally under the contract of Top News from April 1, 2022. However, the broadcast under the contract lasted only 1 month. Kanok then announced on his Facebook page that Top News had terminated his contract with Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5 since May 1, 2022, according to the agreement made with the Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5, Sontiyan clarified that the termination of the said contract came from the fact that Channel 5 was a government television station. which has many limitations, especially the news presentation Causing lately, the content presented by Top News on the Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5 has unusually weakened weight by TOP News hosted their live program on Channel 5 for the last day on April 29, 2022 and the last program of Top News broadcast in the Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5 was the program "Na Krub" on April 30, 2022.
On February 1, 2023, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha personally came to congratulate on the occasion of the 2nd anniversary of Top News. By the original schedule, he assigned Supattanapong Phanmeechaow Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy went to congratulate on his behalf.
On September 9, 2023, there was news that TOP News had negotiated with Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, chief executive officer and president of JKN Global Group to acquire JKN18, which is the same television station that used to have a rumor that a group of TOP News personnel will move to work at the end of 2020 by acquiring the business for a value of approximately 500,000,000 baht, which if successful will be called TOP News 18 But Jakkaphong denied through a notification to the Stock Exchange of Thailand on September 11 that it was only an agreement to produce joint news programs between JKN18 and TOP News, in which that TOP News programs will be appeared on JKN18, replacing the main news programs that self-produced by the channel itself, starting on September 18 of that year. TOP News will also ceased broadcasting on cable and satellite on September 30, 2023, to pave way for the full transition of the channel into the digital TV era, which will be broadcast its news programs on JKN18 only.
After the process was completed, TOP News announced that it would end its satellite broadcasting and would move to broadcast on digital TV channel 18 under the new name JKN18 by TOP News from 18 September onwards and JKN18 has announced the dissolve of the former news staff including all JKN-CNBC news departments in order to clear the time slot for TOP News, while broadcasting via cable and satellite TV, which is TOP News' original channel, the broadcasting will continue as normal. But it will be a parallel broadcast from JKN18 only, and in some programs which are originally under the copyright of JKN, there will be no broadcasting on the cable and satellite channel. During its aforementioned time, the station will open an informercial program instead.
On November 12, 2023, Sonthiyan Chuenruthainaitham write a message that it will make his resignation from Top News in all occupation, but he is still remain as the biggest shareholder of the channel and its company Top News Digital Media Co., Ltd.

## Presenters
### Current

* Kanok Ratwongsakul
* Thira Thanpaiboon
* Santisuk Marongsri
* Narong Suthirak
* Udon Saengarun
* Sathaporn Kuasakul
* Nititar Chaopayak
* Ubolrat Thaonoi
* Worathep Suwatthanaphim
* Wittayen Muttara
* Takerng Somsap
* Rungratree Suhongsa
* Wootthinan Nahim
* Chanutra Petchmoon
* Sirawit Chaikasem
* Phonsawan Jarupan
* Pracha Harirakakphithak
* Amorn Taeudomkul
* Chayathorn Thanaworachet
* Chiratwat Siributr
* Athitchan Khuharuengrong
* Salinna Phuiam
* Tharawut Ritthiaksorn
* Padungsin Srichaiyo
* Laksika Paethong
* Supornthip Thepchanta
* Kantaphon Bungwai
* Kornsuda Wiratat
* Sitsiya Wisutprani
* Boonradom Jitdon
* Sayan Klomsakorn
* Witthayen Muttamara

### Former

* Tawanrung Parisuttidham (now at MONO29)
* Kittima Thararattanakil (now at NEWS1)
* Manut Tangsuk (now at Channel 5 HD)
* Tawaree Tantrawat (now a freelance host)
* Sukanya Boonchuan (still working as an employee at TOP News)
* Prinya Ketsarathikul (died on 5 November 2021)
* Nantakwang Sirasoontorn (now at Amarin TV)
* Rungnapha Suhongsa
* Anchalee Paireerak (now at Naewna)
* Jarunee Suksawat
* Sonthiyan Chuenruthainaitham