ARMENIAN BROADCASTING OFFICIALS RESPOND TO RFE/RL STATEMENT
ARMENPRESS
Jul 26, 2007
YEREVAN, JULY 26, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Public TV and Radio Company’s
Council (HHHR) said today in a statement that it, as well as the Public
Radio, would like to reconfirm their desire to continue cooperation
with the RFE/RL ‘for the sake of the Republic of Armenia and the USA.’
The statement comes as a response to media reports saying that the
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and its oversight agency,
the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), were dismayed at
Armenian Public Radio’s rejection of a new contract to continue
carrying programs of RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
According to HHHR statement, it and the Public Radio had negotiated
with the RFE/RL management and BBG for months with the aim of finding
solutions to a set of contractual, financial and technical issues. The
statement says though no agreement was reached between U.S. and
Armenian broadcast officials on retransmission of the Armenian Service
of the RFE/RL, the Public Radio continued retransmission of the RFE/RL
programs through its airways throughout the period of talks presenting
payable accounts every month.
The statement says the RFE/RL stopped paying its accounts after 2007
February, although the accounts were being sent to it every month. The
current debt of the RFE/RL to the Public Radio is about $86,000.
The statement says on July 6, 2007, in view of the international
experience of public radio and TVs’ operation, the HHHR decided
to stop retransmission of foreign and local radio and TV companies
through public airways.
According to the statement, HHHR notified three such companies-Mir,
RFE/RL and Tsaig that the Public Radio and TV company will stop
retransmitting their programs on August 9, but the RFE/RL asked
to prolong the deadline and the Public Radio agreed to meet this
request halfway.
The statement said that the HHHR and the Public Radio expressed
their willingness to help the RFE/RL negotiate retransmission of
its programs with a local private radio company to secure RFE/RL’s
continued broadcasting in Armenia.
The statement says HHHR discussed with BBG officials last week in
Yerevan the possibilities of retransmission of the RFE/RL through the
waves of the intercontinental AR Radio, which is technically quite
possible, but for that the Public Radio of Armenia would have to cut
its broadcasting hours through AR Radio’s FM network, so that these
hours go to the RFE/RL.
The statement said the Public Radio and AR Radio had achieved a
preliminary agreement on this technical issue and sent on July 24 a
notification to the BBG president Gary Thatcher.
The statement said on its part the BBG presented a draft agreement
on retransmitting RFE/RL through AR Radio, which was negotiated by
the parties, who were actually in the final stage.
The HHHR statement says after all these developments the statement
by the RFE/RL, which has a set of inaccuracies, is an attempt to
politicize purely legal-contractual and financial questions, causing
the regret of the HHHR and Public Radio.
A statement by the RFE/RL, posted on its website, quoted BBG chairman
James K. Glassman as saying that ‘Our delegation was asked to go
to Yerevan to iron out some minor technical issues and conclude a
contract to extend this successful partnership. All these issues
were resolved. Our delegation was told there are no deadlines, and
no threat was made to take RFE/RL programs off Public Radio. Yet
the contract remains unsigned, and our offers to make payment were
refused. It seems clear that whatever is holding up an agreement has
nothing to do with legal, contractual, or technical issues."
"We value our relationship with Armenian Public Radio and certainly
want it to continue. We look forward to signing the contract,
and making all payments stipulated in the contract, as soon as our
partners in Armenia tell us they are ready."