The experts foresee a revolution in television domain in Armenia
The President of “A1+” TV company Mesrop Movsesyan, the Chairman of Gyumri Journalists’ club “Asparez” Levon Barseghyan, President of Yerevan Press Club Boris Navasardyan, Chairman of Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression Ashot Melikyan and others are planning to convene a general assembly by the end of September to discuss the idea of establishing a satellite, public TV. They have participated in such a discussion still two years ago at the public council meeting convened by “A1+” TV company. The Chairman of Gyumri Journalists’ club “Asparez” Levon Barseghyan informed about it in a conversation with “Aravot” detailing the need for having a satellite TV,- “This is an old idea, at least I have talked about it many times. In other words, it’s going to be a public TV.
This idea has been continuously developed, and the idea revived in me over and over that to change the anti-popular regime, Armenia needs to have a real public television established and originating from the public, and providing information to Armenians throughout the world. In terms of technical solutions, it could be a satellite television, which, of course, must cover the satellite and be available to the Diaspora,”- said Levon Barseghyan. As listed by him, Armenia has state-public and private television networks, it remains to have a public services providing, multi-genre TV company. “We have the state-public and private networks, let them be, let them be more, but I think we need a TV that does not pursuit profit, actually providing public services to the society, offering a wide variety of news and analysis, up-to-dated, not retarded, operatively responding to everything. I have never thought of mine or of Poghos’s, I have tried my best to be helpful in the development of the idea.
And I think it would be really Armenian, maybe a joint-stock, but not with such shareholders that someone dictates something, a truly independent and diverse information and analysis providing company. We need it a long time ago, and this gap was never filled. Of course, it will be broadcast over the internet, the local television stations might be willing to rebroadcast some things, cable networks, and so on and so forth,”- presented Levon Barseghyan. He also said that nothing is yet decided, and the comments on the Facebook will be taken into account, which has created a wide field for people to be expressed. “There are people who are already willing to transfer money, to where, it is not clear, naturally, given institution is missing, some sort of legal-organizational issue is to be decided, as to what it will be, a foundation, or a business. I am not inclined to business structures, but it is necessary to convene a general meeting with interested parties in this sphere or issue to understand what to do and how to do. But the fact that it is a necessity that the control over the sphere of radio and television has become a key tool of reproduction for Armenia’s authorities for almost 15 years, to wash the brains, to advocate what they want, is definite. We really need a public television. Perhaps, this idea will start changing something in the politics of many TV channels. Maybe it will not change, nevertheless, we need to go ahead, I am already sure, I have been convinced for a long time, for about 6 years I have been talking on different levels, but publicly, probably, for the 2nd or the 3rd time,”- said Levon Barseghyan.
Read also
According to our interlocutor, Yerevan Press Club has proposed legislative changes to make the satellite television in our country more simplified, get out of the licensing, in other words, whoever wanted can rent a satellite channel and release its TV programs. “The world has greatly become small, if there is a restriction, the broadcaster goes to another country to broadcast. I think our idea has nothing to do with defective work or defective practice of the National Commission of Television and Radio. Let them go and work, as they want, to control and monitor, oppress, dictate, liberalize radio-television broadcast sphere, or stop censoring or start censoring, as they want. This idea is technically far beyond their possible riots. They are not going to like it, that’s for sure, we know it, we already feel from different comments, yelling of fakes on the “Facebook.” It is already felt that they have fallen into hysteria, they are raving about some grants, but all of this, as well as my and the activities of our organization is going to be public, in front of everybody, let them come and watch the whole process, everything will be in front of them,” – said the Chairman of the Club “Asparez”. He once again repeated that their goal is to have a true public TV company,- “Our goal is to have a true public company. We didn’t have it, we had it by the name, actually we didn’t have it. In other words, it is not good that in 22 years of our independence, all that we listen from each other, neighbors, from the event, come home and changing the channels try to find but could not find or find very little. Whatever stupidity is, you can watch in the news, except for the most important ones, about which it is spoken throughout Armenia. You can watch something in 1-2 news channels, but it seems to me, it is very limited, and sometimes in poor quality. This gap needs to be corrected, if they correct it by then, thanks God, there will be no need to waste efforts to open it. Who knows, maybe there are elections in two or three years ahead, they will liberalize, amend the Constitution, will diminish the power of the president, will make the prime minister powerful, will think, well, brother, the television, so what. Now, when you compare, for example, with the content of TV/radio broadcast of 5-6 years ago, it is much more liberalized, but still kept in a strong hand that at any flare-up moment, they can introduce the censorship from March 1 to 20, the risk is not eliminated at any time.
In other words, the chain of the freedom is a bit prolonged, they can freely wonder, but it should be, they will quickly cut the chain short in a short domain,”- assures our interlocutor.
Nune AREVSHATYAN
