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ARMENIAN MEDIA REPS SAY NEW BILL TO ESTABLISH TIGHTER CONTROL OVER TELEVISION
Aravot
May 26 2010
Armenia
The heads of a few Armenian media organizations believe that planned
changes to the country's law "On TV and radio" will lead to the
monopolization and tighter control over TV broadcasting by the
authorities, the pro-opposition Aravot daily reported on 26 May.
However, Armenian government officials say that the planned reduction
in the number of TV channels is a technical issue which is not aimed
at suppressing pluralism in the country.
The editor of the Hetq website, Edik Baghdasaryan, has told Aravot that
the draft changes are aimed at replacing the owners of TV stations and
are politically motivated. "I tend to believe that the replacement of
owners of TV stations is taking place," Baghdasaryan said. "It should
be clearly mentioned who are the owners, the public has the right
to know who the TV companies belong to." Baghdasaryan believes that
the new law should make it obligatory for TV channels to declare the
names of their real owners. "Everyone is asking why 22 [TV stations]
are cut down to 18, but do the numbers matter if all [TV stations]
are to be governed and controlled from one centre?"
Baghdasaryan doubted that A1+ TV would have enough resources to resume
broadcasting because, he said, "major resources" are required to take
part in the forthcoming tender for TV frequencies.
The director of A1+ TV, Mesrop Movsisyan, said parliamentary hearings
on the bill were "a show" and that the authorities are preparing to
swiftly approve the draft changes in order to control TV stations
ahead of the next parliamentary and presidential elections in 2012
and 2013 respectively. "As you know, a parliamentary election will be
held in 2012, and a presidential election in 2013, and this chaos,
which will be created in the TV and radio sphere, will only work to
their benefit," Movsisyan said.
A member of an Armenian interagency commission on the digitalization of
TV and radio broadcasting, Avetis Berberyan, has denied reports that
the draft changes have the political objective of limiting pluralism
in the country, Aravot reported. "It is absurd to see a political goal
in it, which is seeking to limit pluralism and diversity," Berberyan
said. He said a provision of the bill, which envisages cutting down
the number of TV frequencies, is linked to a technical issue during
a transition period and that time will come when there may be over
100-200 frequencies in Armenia.
The draft changes, proposed by the Armenian government, envisage a
full switch to digital broadcasting by 2015 and suggest decreasing
the number of TV channels in Armenia from the current 22 to 18 during
the transition period. A number of Armenian media organizations have
voiced concern that the draft changes are aimed at denying A1+ TV,
which went off the air in 2002, an opportunity to resume broadcasting.
Armenian parliament has approved the draft changes in the first reading
and is currently holding hearings on the issue with the participation
of media organizations before the next stage of discussions of the
bill in parliament.
From: A. Papazian
Aravot
May 26 2010
Armenia
The heads of a few Armenian media organizations believe that planned
changes to the country's law "On TV and radio" will lead to the
monopolization and tighter control over TV broadcasting by the
authorities, the pro-opposition Aravot daily reported on 26 May.
However, Armenian government officials say that the planned reduction
in the number of TV channels is a technical issue which is not aimed
at suppressing pluralism in the country.
The editor of the Hetq website, Edik Baghdasaryan, has told Aravot that
the draft changes are aimed at replacing the owners of TV stations and
are politically motivated. "I tend to believe that the replacement of
owners of TV stations is taking place," Baghdasaryan said. "It should
be clearly mentioned who are the owners, the public has the right
to know who the TV companies belong to." Baghdasaryan believes that
the new law should make it obligatory for TV channels to declare the
names of their real owners. "Everyone is asking why 22 [TV stations]
are cut down to 18, but do the numbers matter if all [TV stations]
are to be governed and controlled from one centre?"
Baghdasaryan doubted that A1+ TV would have enough resources to resume
broadcasting because, he said, "major resources" are required to take
part in the forthcoming tender for TV frequencies.
The director of A1+ TV, Mesrop Movsisyan, said parliamentary hearings
on the bill were "a show" and that the authorities are preparing to
swiftly approve the draft changes in order to control TV stations
ahead of the next parliamentary and presidential elections in 2012
and 2013 respectively. "As you know, a parliamentary election will be
held in 2012, and a presidential election in 2013, and this chaos,
which will be created in the TV and radio sphere, will only work to
their benefit," Movsisyan said.
A member of an Armenian interagency commission on the digitalization of
TV and radio broadcasting, Avetis Berberyan, has denied reports that
the draft changes have the political objective of limiting pluralism
in the country, Aravot reported. "It is absurd to see a political goal
in it, which is seeking to limit pluralism and diversity," Berberyan
said. He said a provision of the bill, which envisages cutting down
the number of TV frequencies, is linked to a technical issue during
a transition period and that time will come when there may be over
100-200 frequencies in Armenia.
The draft changes, proposed by the Armenian government, envisage a
full switch to digital broadcasting by 2015 and suggest decreasing
the number of TV channels in Armenia from the current 22 to 18 during
the transition period. A number of Armenian media organizations have
voiced concern that the draft changes are aimed at denying A1+ TV,
which went off the air in 2002, an opportunity to resume broadcasting.
Armenian parliament has approved the draft changes in the first reading
and is currently holding hearings on the issue with the participation
of media organizations before the next stage of discussions of the
bill in parliament.
From: A. Papazian