TEGUCIGALPA, Nov 20 (Reuters) – A Honduran television  station that backs deposed President Manuel Zelaya accused the  de facto government of interfering with its broadcast signal yesterday, replacing news programs with cowboy movies.

The Honduran media has become a battleground between rival  supporters of leftist Zelaya and the de facto government since  a June 28 coup plunged the nation into political turmoil.

The director of Canal 36 blamed the programming  interruption on de facto leader Roberto Micheletti, who has  tightened controls over the media since taking charge of the  country after the army ousted Zelaya. A spokesman for the de facto government denied any  involvement.

“The Micheletti government is responsible,” Esdras Amado  Lopez, the Channel’s director told Radio Globo, a pro-Zelaya  radio station that was broadcasting as normal.

He said the channel’s morning news bulletin had been  disrupted by intentional interference with its signal.

The channel was showing cowboy films before programming  later stopped completely on Friday morning.

A Micheletti spokesman said the government “hadn’t given  any order for any media to be blocked or taken off air.”

Last week, U.S. Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky  accused the Micheletti government of disrupting Canal 36’s news  shows since the coup in a visit to the TV station.

“There has been a complete violation of freedom of the  press,” she told reporters.

Micheletti imposed restrictions on opposition media after  Zelaya sneaked back into the country in September and sought  refuge in the Brazilian Embassy. The curbs were lifted last  month following strong international criticism.

Tensions are simmering in the country in the run-up to a  Nov. 29 presidential election, which Latin American governments  say they will only recognize if Zelaya is reinstated until the  formal end of his term in January.

In recent days, opposition media have dedicated more and  more airtime to Zelaya’s criticism of the election, which the  de facto government says is vital to resolve the five-month-old  political crisis.