SEVERAL JOURNALISTIC ORGANIZATIONS OBJECT TO AMENDMENT AMDE IN LAW ON TELEVISION AND RADIO

Noyan Tapan

Se p 11, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 11, NOYAN TAPAN. The Yerevan Press Club, the
Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression, "Internews" NGO for
support of the press, and "Asparez" Club of Journalists made a
statement on September 10, in which they consider the adoption of
the bill on making an amendment in the Law on Television and Radio
as inadmissible. According to the bill, the holding of tenders for
licensing of television and radio broadcasting is suspended until
2010. "The Armenian government proved once again that its initiatives
concerning the mass media are aimed at keeping and increasing its
control of broadcasting companies rather than at ensuring people’s
constitutional right to to receive and spread freely information,
improving the field, and fulfilling its obligations to the Council
of Europe and the proposals of the PACE resolution," is said in
the statement.

In the opinion of the journalistic NGOs, this governmental initiative
has no relation to protection of the rights of broadcasting companies,
consumers and the state, and is just an attempt to get rid of licensing
tenders as an extra trouble.

"The result of adopting this law will be that we will enter the
digital broadcast period with the broadcasting companies which
are of low quality, not in line with the public’s requirements and
international standards, privatized and therefore easy to control,"
the statement reads.