ACCORDING TO NERSES YERITSIAN, A1+ AND NOYAN TAPAN TV COMPANIES WERE DEPRIVED OF AIR DUE TO LACK OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE BY POLITICAL FORCES

Noyan Tapan

Se p 9, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. On September 9, the RA National
Assembly discussed the proposal of making amendment to the law
On Television and Radio by the government, according to which, no
tenders of TV and radio broadcasting licensing will be announced
until July 20, 2010. The TV companies, whose licence validity term
expires until January 2010, can pretend to prolongation of validity
term of that licence.

According to Nerses Yeritsian, the RA Minister of Economy presenting
the bill, by doing so an attempt is made to create favorable conditions
for passing to broadcasting digital system in Armenia. According to
him, Armenia has joined the Agreement of the Union of International
Telecommunication endorsed during the Radiocommunication Regional
Conference held in 2006 in Geneva, according to which, 2015 has been
fixed a deadline for passing to the digital broadcasting system. The
solution proposed by the legislative initiative, according to the
Minister, will permit to fluently pass from analogue to digital
broadcasting system of radio and TV broadcasts in the territory of
Armenia avoiding the process of temporary and needless licensing at
the transitional stage.

N. Yeritsian said that the validity terms of all licences given
so far expire in 2010, and companies, the term of whose licences
expired earlier as a result of relicensing will not gain advantage
over companies whose licence term expired later.

The government considers urgent adoption of the law, as the term of
ALM TV company’s licence expires on October 4.

The Minister also said that the licence is given for seven years and
if a short-term licensing process is held, the companies can incur
economic losses.

Deputy Viktor Dallakian not disputing the necessity of technical
reequipment said that this bill has a political implication and
is aimed at depriving the A1+ and Noyan Tapan TV companies of the
possibility of returning on air.

He especially mentioned the A1+ TV company, as lately the European
Court of Human Rights has made a decision on creating a possibility
to give air to it.

Armen Martirosian, the head of the Zharangutiun (Heritage) faction,
in his turn, said that all TV companies should be given equal
possibilities for acting and whether they will be able to remain
in the broadcasting sphere or not – let it be decided during a free
competition.

Ernest Soghomonian, a member of the Bargavach Hayastan (Prosperous
Armenia) faction, said that government’s proposal has no political
goal. According to him, the A1+ and Noyan Tapan TV companies were in
a very poor condition, and the political forces these TV companies
served should have provided financial assistance to these media.

Minister Nerses Yeritsian also expressed the same thought mentioning
that before politicizing the issue the opposition should solve
the problems of technical equipment of the above mentioned TV
companies. The Minister stated that the legislative initiative proposed
by the government has nothing in common with the issue of providing
air to the A1+ and Noyan Tapan TV companies.

Noyan Tapan center’s commentary:

The Noyan Tapan information center in response to the above mentioned
speech Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsian made on September 9 in the
RA National Assembly states that the Noyan Tapan information-analytical
center, as well as the Noyan Tapan TV company making part of it have
never served any political force or party in the 17 years of their
existence and have been guided only by the principle of providing true,
reliable and operative information to the public. As regards the issue
of TV company’s technical equipment, in the period of tenders Noyan
Tapan’s technical equipment was not inferior to the technical equipment
of other TV companies receiving licences in the same tenders at that
time. The honorable Minister, apparently, is not aware of the above
mentioned. And considering the technical financing of TV companies
the task of these or those political forces (the honorable Minister,
apparently, is not aware, either, that it is prohibited by the RA law)
and dividing TV companies into "his own people" and "oppositionists"
the Minister in fact confesses that the issue of providing a licence to
TV companies has been solved not in conditions of a free competition,
but as a result of the political decision of the authorities.