PUBLIC TELEVISION WILL CARRY OUT GOVERNMENT ORDER OF 187.7 MILLION DRAMS BUT HOW?

KarabakhOpen
14-02-2008 17:27:59

The chair of the Board of Public Television and Radio Vardges Bagiryan
has extended a proposal to the government. According to the proposal,
the government will assign 187.7 million drams in 2008 for the
production of TV and radio programs.

The size of the assignment did not arouse questions among the members
of government. Instead, a heated argument began on the programs
described in the proposal. In particular, Prosecutor General Arshavir
Baghiryan said 30 hours is too long for the Armenian Alphabet show
since the program is boring. Prime Minister Ara Harutiunyan shared
his opinion, who also said the duration of the Political Hour should
be reduced, and the duration of the Health should be increased. The
minister of social security Narine Azatyan proposed a series of
programs about social issues. Vardges Bagiryan said the list could
be modified. But how?

According to the law, the Board of the Public Television and Radio
sets the duration and list of programs. However, the regulations of
the Board do not provide for criteria for deciding the duration of
one program or another.

There are no mechanisms of measuring the rating of the programs,
no polls are conducted among viewers, no evaluations are made by
experts. No contests are held for projects that the government orders.

Most TV channels whose policy is based on public opinion set the list
of programs through these mechanisms. Usually, the Public Television
receives government order to produce and broadcast a certain series
of programs. The TV channel announces a contest of programs on the
given topic. Then the work of the journalist is measured through
polls. Thereby both the order is carried out and the viewers watch
quality programs.

In our Public Television the rating of the journalist and the program
is not used for measurement. Therefore, the government may reshape
the list of programs in one way or another, without considering how
difficult it is to create a new program and what it requires.