#6036
[Second Issue of the Day]
#2
NTV news summary
January 22, 2002
The following is a transcript of the main news broadcast at 1900 on the Segodnya Program.
The Presenter is Pyotr Marchenko
For the first time in Russia broadcasting on one of the federal channels was cancelled today following a court order. The TV6 license was suspended at midnight sharp. A decision on who will control the channel 6 frequency will be made in two months. There's to be a tender for the channel on the 27th of March. Vladimir Kondratyev reports on the dramatic final events surrounding TV6.
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The authorities resorted to strong-arm tactics in dealing with TV companies by interrupting TV programs on air for the second time since spring last year. In April last year when NTV fate was under the spotlight a TV program was suddenly interrupted because of an apparent attempt to divert the frequency. Last night at midnight the viewers of Channel 6 also didn't get to watch the closing titles. The authorities kept their word, at least formally. There was no black screen, but instead of a regular picture there appeared a technical one. Instead of TV6 NTV Plus sports programs started in the morning with the tempting promises of broadcasts from the Salt Lake City Olympic games.
The very fact that the license was suspended and the broadcasting stopped isn't a great surprise. Press minister Michael Lesin announced these measures yesterday, after the order on the liquidation process initiated on the request of Lukoil were passed to him by court officials. What is really surprising is the hurry in which the ruling has been carried out. Lesin claimed it would take a day or two to clarify all the judicial and technical details. According to the TV6 staff, the process of pulling the plug on all the studios was accompanied by switching off the office phones and Internet lines which were switched back on later. There were fears that the TV6 journalists and technicians would be denied passes to work and their working places would be sealed up. That hasn't happened yet, though video equipment and cassettes are not allowed to be carried out. All the journalists stayed at work today. Yet nobody knows what future lies ahead for the new company registered a few days ago by a team of journalists and whether it is going to take part in the competition for the frequency. News on the radio and in the Internet is hardly an adequate replacement for the professional team of journalists from TV6, but the main thing to do now is to keep them working as a team. And that amounts to one thousand and two hundred people in Moscow alone. There are one hundred and sixty regional TV6 partners who also face problems. There have been delays in wages since December. That was one of the primary questions to Kiselev, Krichevsky, Korchagin and other managers at today's staff meeting. No decisions were passed, the company managers just tried to explain the situation to the employees. But it seems that this particular question should be addressed to Berezovsky who at present isn't able to finance the company as he used to. None of the many correspondents, foreign included, were admitted to Studio five where the meeting took place. It was a private talk only for the TV6 insiders. As Interfax reports nothing special was announced, the TV6 management promised to keep working on all issues and to pay wages as soon as possible. Evgeny Kisilyev claimed not to have any doubts as to the results of the forthcoming tender for the license though he said he wasn't going to give in and quit fighting.
While Kisilyev was addressing the journalists in "Ostankino", Press minister Lesin was holding a press conference to announce the dates of the tender and to reassure the TV6 team as far as he could. The team of journalists are unable to finance its own broadcasting or raise necessary funds for it yet. The Ministry knows that perfectly well. The question of finding an investor or a financial partner is still to be addressed. The only hope is that the situation finally takes a turn for the better and a miracle happens, the miracle for which the TV6 staff is waiting - a return to the airwaves.
It seemed last week that the sides were nearing a compromise and that the team would stay on the channel. That doesn't seem so possible today and yet there must be a reason for President Putin and Premier Kasyanov publicly announcing their utmost support for the TV6 journalists. The only ones who didn't get the news of the TV6's shutdown were participants in the "Behind the glass - two" project. They are leading their routine life the coverage on which can be found in Internet. "We are working on sheer enthusiasm and don't know whether we'll get paid"'- one of the project managers said. Vladimir Kondratyev, Igor Kovrigin, Vyacheslav Voronov and Alexei Chervyakov, NTV, Moscow.
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The latest developments have caused quite a stormy reaction among Russian politicians, each of them having his own version of what happened.
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Deputy Morozov: "This problem is a Molotov's cocktail consisting of politics, economic conflicts and, if I'm not mistaken, of personal confrontations between some well-known people. How shall we react to that? With great regret. It's a pity that our famous journalists no longer work on Channel 6 which has been quite effective lately and that such a thing has happened."
State Duma Speaker Mr. Seleznev: "I think the TV Channel managers got confused. In Korchagin's initial request there seemed to be an option for the TV6 team to keep working on a temporary basis until they could bid for the permanent license. Then they suddenly changed their mind and decided to reject the previous agreement. And here is the result."
Leader of the Union of the Right Forces Boris Nemtsov: "Putin was fighting against Berezovsky, and the TV viewers and journalists fell victim. As often happens in Russia a noble fight against the oligarchs has ended in disgrace."
Leader of The People's Deputy faction Gennady Raikov: "The managers at TV6 are largely to blame. The Channel has been closed because they should have been more consistent in their actions. The Press ministry agreed to let them come on air until the tender for the frequency. It was the executive director Kisilyev who yesterday sent a letter with the request to regard the previous interim agreement invalid. The Press ministry had nothing to do but to follow the law."
Vice-Speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky -"The main mistake they made which led to the shutdown is that they kept broadcasting for abroad. They used the old NTV net and broadcasted all the programs, political and analytical included, for the US and Canadian audience. What for? They shouldn't have done it. They should have waited till everything calmed down, they should have registered as a new entity and then they should have struck a new deal. They should have moved step by step. And what do we have now? A revolution. Everybody in Russia likes revolutions, journalists are no exception.
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It should be stressed that those in the mass media are also expressing quite different views on the situation surrounding TV6.
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Eduard Sagalayev - "It's a pity that we have to deal with such a battle between shareholders. It's quite obvious that one of the shareholders is backed up by the authorities, though. That seems to be the real reason for what has happened."
Oleg Poptsov - "Two laws have clashed. The law on the freedom of property versus the law on the freedom of speech. By every way possible we are trying to prove the priority of the law on the freedom of property over the law on the freedom of speech. I don't think it's right. First of all, because the two laws are equal. Information or speech is property too and as property it also needs freedom for further development." Raf Shakirov -"There's no doubt the case is political. The team's actions are quite inconsistent thus causing contradictory public reaction. Igor Shabdurasulov -"It seems to me that neither side has a clearly defined position on this. Their stands are constantly changing, so there is no possibility of analyzing the current situation in order to solve it."
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The First Vice-Premier of the City Administration and his wife are reported killed in Makhachkala this morning. Practically all the law-enforcement agencies are taking part in the search for two hit men involved in this. Akhmed Aliev was considered to be the Daghestani capital mayor's right-hand man and had never been involved in any scandals. The investigators are still baffled as to the reasons for this murder.
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A new emergency in Israel. A terrorist sniper managed to start shooting in the very center of Jerusalem, in one of the busiest places of the city. Fifteen injured have been reported.
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Another high-ranking Russian official had to spend several hours in the General Prosecutor's office today. As reported by the news agencies Head of the State Customs Committee (GTK) Mikhail Vanin was summoned for questioning as a witness for the case of the "Grand" and "Tri Kita" (Three Whales) furniture centers. These companies are charged with smuggling. The centers' management in its turn has accused two high-ranking GTK officials of office abuse. No details on Mr. Vanin's questioning have been disclosed yet. The only thing GTK confirms is the fact of Mr. Vanin paying a visit to the Prosecutor's office. The General Prosecutor's office has offered no comment on the case.
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Further special trains carrying radioactive waste from Bulgaria are to appear in Russia as early as this year. It's part of a framework agreement on dismantling the Bulgarian Kozlodui nuclear power station. Krasnoyarsky mining-chemical plant already received the first nuclear fuel cargo last year. The story has caused a high-profile scandal. Russian ecologists claim the Bulgarians have not only brought in import-denied substances but haven't paid for their processing either.
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A powerful snowstorm is hitting Sakhalin today. Due to bad weather the island has been cut off from the mainland. The local authorities regard the situation as an emergency. The runways of Sakhalin airport are covered with snow. Sea connections have also been interrupted because of a huge storm in the Tatar Strait. Heavy snow has cut telephone lines. The roads are covered with layers of snow two meters deep. Civil defense and emergency situations authorities recommend residents stay indoors and stock up on food, medicines and candles in case it takes some time for the bad weather to pass. The only transport to function on the island is the railway. The trains still keep to the schedule. Local operative services work round-the- clock. According to the weather forecasts the storm is to last for two more days and then it will move to Kamchatka.
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A trial for the death of twenty-two servicemen from the Sergiyev-Posad Militia special forces (OMON) in Chechnya is the focus of attention again. High-ranking militia men were summoned to court today. Ministry of the Interior generals gave their version of the tragic events when the militia servicemen were killed by friendly fire.
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