ARMENIAN MEDIA DO NOT HAVE POSSIBILITY OF SELF-FINANCING AND FREE WORK, EDWARD ANTINIAN CONSIDERS

Noyan Tapan

Se p 19, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, NOYAN TAPAN. "The urgency to make amendments
to the law On Television and Radio is evidence that the authorities
had a goal not to digitalize television but to solve a political
problem. Edward Antinian, the Chairman of the Liberal-Progressive Party
of Armenia (LPPA), stated at a discussion organized on September 19
at the National Press Club. He affirmed that their political goal was
to deprive the A1+ and Noyan Tapan closed TV companies of possibility
to return on air. And the most interesting, according to E. Antinian,
is that it is RA Minister of Economy who speaks about digitalizing
television in seven years, "a person who knows that the country does
not have even seven days’ wheat stock."

The LPPA leader said that the most important among the circumstances
hindering development of Armenian media is the lack of independent
financing and therefore, lack of freedom. Free media cannot be even
spoken about in a country where, according to E. Antinian, businessmen
are called and warned not to dare to place an advertisement in the
air of the Gala opposition TV company. The condition of printed media,
according to him, is also sad. E. Antinian said that being in Gyumri
lately, he failed to buy newspapers in kiosks. "The half of newspapers
just was not on sale and as the kioskman told me, they had put aside
the other half for the Prosecutor," he said.