ARMENIAN TELEVISION STATIONS SET ELECTION CAMPAIGN ADS PRICE
Armenpress
Feb 13 2007
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s Public TV channel has
set 80,000 drams ($220) per-minute fee for parliamentary election
campaign ads, up from $120 it charged in the run-up to the 2003
parliamentary elections. This fee is for parties, alliances and
individual contenders.
Under the Armenian law, every party or alliance running for parliament
can air up to 60 minutes of free-of-charge ads on state television
and 120 minutes on state radio during campaigning for the May 12
parliamentary elections.
Private networks will charge even more. Thus Armenia TV will charge
130,000 Drams from parties, alliances and individual contenders. Yerkir
Media has set 100,000 Drams, Armenia 2 TV will charge 108,000
Drams. Kentron TV will also charge 108,000 Drams from parties and
60,000 from candidates running from single-mandate constituencies. ALM
TV will charge 120,000 and 80,000 respectively.
These prices were criticized by leaders of the opposition Ardarutyun
(Justice) alliance and the National Unity Party, who claimed that high
prices is deliberate government effort to keep the opposition away
from electronic media. The National Unity leader Artashes Geghamian
said his party will not use the paid time to promote its campaign.