Subject: OSH TV
From: Chris Schuepp (schuepp@internews.kg)
Date: Wed Aug 09 2000 - 08:10:25 EDT
************ WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY CROSSPOSTINGS ****************
OSH TV's BROADCASTING LICENSE EXTENDED TILL THE END OF 2000
Osh TV, Central Asia's oldest private TV station, was granted another
extension to their broadcasting license today. The State Commission for
Radio Frequencies in Bishkek decided during a special meeting in the Kyrgyz
capital Bishkek that Osh TV does not have to leave the metro channel in the
Southern city of Osh immediately but can keep broadcasting on it at least
till the end of the year. Osh TV director Khaliljan Khudaiberdiev was
informed about the decision by Nikolaij Nikolaijev, deputy director of the
Kyrgyz National Agency for Communications (NAC), via phone in the Internews
office in Bishkek in the afternoon where Mr. Khudaiberdiev was nervously
waiting for the news on the future of his TV station. Mr. Khudaiberdiev was
also told that he will receive the relevant documents tomorrow morning in
the NAC office.
Today's decision came after massive protest by journalists in Osh and a
political intervention by Temirbek Asanbekovitch, the governor of Osh, who
had anticipated growing protests and among the population of Osh and had
called the Bishkek authorities in order to reach a workable compromise with
Osh TV.
More than twenty journalists from the town of Osh had gathered on August 3rd
in front of the Osh TV's office (an Osh-based private TV-station
broadcasting in the Uzbek language) protesting against the attempt of
representatives of the National Agency of Communictions (NAC) to seal up
the station's broadcasting transmitter on fifth VHF channel. The
representatives of the southern branch of Kyrgyzstan's National Agency for
Communications had told journalists that their actions were the result of
the fact that Osh TV did not comply with the previous decree issued by the
Kyrgyz National Agency for Communications on 29 June, 2000. The decree
signed by Esen Topoev, the chairman of the Kyrghyz State Commission for
Radio Frequencies who is also Kyrghyzstan's defense minister, rejected Osh
TV's appeal to prolong its license to broadcast on VHF fifth channel, put a
deadline for ceasing Osh TV's broadcasting- 01.07.2000 ( July 1st), and
assigned the Kyrghyz National Agency for Communications to oversee the
implementation of the decree.
Khaliljan Khudaiberdiev, Osh TV director refused to sign the statement
prepared by Asanov Talaibek, NAC representative, that would certify Osh TV
agreed with this measure of NAC. According to Khaliljan Khudaiberdiev, the
process of changing from VHF to UHF broadcasting is extremly costly for the
station's budget. About two million Kyrgyz soms, the equivalent of USD
42,675, is needed to change equipment and infrustructure necessary for UHF
broadcasting. More importantly, the change of frequency can result in the
loss of the majority of Osh TV audience (mostly ethnic Uzbeks) because the
UHF would require special equipment for the viewers to receive Osh TV
programming. Mr. Khudaiberdiev did not rule out the possibility that this
process might lead to Osh TV's closing down.
On 3 August, Khaliljan Khudaiberdiev announced his intention to file a
complaint against the NAC decree and unauthorized actions by NAC
representatives who did not have an official sanction to seal up the
transmitter in hand. Mr. Khudaiberdiev is convinced that actions of NAC are
unlawful:according to the existing Kyrghyz law on media, only the court
verdict or the founding body can close down or stop the functioning of a
media outlet. An attempt to seal up the transmitter of Osh-TV is a direct
discriminatory act on the part of the governmental agency. He refers to the
example of a government owned KTR (Kyrgyz Teleradio Company) that uses the
same VHF and mega hertz frequency out side Osh and in Bishek, and that did
not get any official notification to cease broadcasting. Khaliljan
Khudaiberdiev turned to Internews-Kyrghyzstan, which provided a consultation
on legal aspects connected to Osh TV present situation. Internews has also
expressed willingness to assist Osh TV with this case.
Later last week, Mr. Khudaiberdiev received and order to appear before the
National Commission for Broadcasting for violating article 271 of the
Administrative Code. According to this, he could be fined from 10 to 100
times the monthly minimum salary for illegal broadcasting during the month
of July.
Osh TV received the initial license to broadcast on the metro channel as far
back as in 1995. They worked on this channel without having any problems
till March 1999, when the newly formed National Agency for Communications
took their license back and ordered the station to reregister. Oh TV then
was granted the broadcasting license till the end of 1999 which was extended
once more till the 1st of July 2000. Today's decision cannot solve the
fundamental problem though, it only postpones it ill the end of 2000. Osh TV
has the right to broadcast till the year 2004, but the license for the metro
channel will run out at the end of this year. In the next five months they
will not be able to find enough funds to make a switch to UHF possible, so
the same process will start over again later this year.
Internews Kyrgyz Republic, the Osh Media Resource Center and Osh TV will
work together in the months to come to find a sustainable solution for
Central Asia's oldest private TV outlet which gives independent journalists
a fair chance to work without governmental interference.
........................
Internews Kyrgyz Republic
Chris Schuepp
Country Director
Tel.: 00996-312-610017
www.internews.kg
........................
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