ARMENIA: POLITICAL WILL NEEDED TO BOOST PUBLIC TV, SAYS BBC REPORT

OSCE website
Oct 17 2008
Austria

Text of press release published by the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) website

Yerevan, 17 October 2008: Defining clear editorial lines, improving
mechanisms to measure audience needs, ceasing aggressive commercial
policies and strengthening current affairs programming are some of
the recommendations for Armenian public television in a report by
the BBC World Service Trust presented today in Yerevan.

The report, which was commissioned by the OSCE Office in Yerevan
with the aim of supporting further development of Armenia’s public
service broadcaster (PTV), is the result of a five-day needs assessment
conducted by the BBC World Service Trust in July.

"Public television should raise its ambitions in providing programming
of a broadly educational nature that would serve to the interests
of different groups of the community. It should end the practice
of airing programmes made by the government," said Michael Randall,
projects manager for Europe and CIS at the BBC World Service Trust.

"We believe there is vast potential for making PTV a leader in
its field and establish a blueprint for public service broadcasting
which could be replicated in countries across the region. However, we
also acknowledge that PTV’s ability to strengthen its public service
ethos relies heavily on political will and change in attitude at the
government level."

The report recommended a long-term consultancy programme, whereby
consultants will work with producers to support the development
of new programmes and with senior managers to reorganize working
methods. The BBC experts also emphasized the importance of identifying
clear objectives and measurable outcomes, with local civil society
organizations monitoring the impact of the training programme, based
upon agreed performance indicators.