The heads of Kyrgyz TV companies sent an open letter to the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sooronbai Jeenbekov. The head of state is asked to save local TV channels from bankruptcy – not to sign the amendments to the Law “On television and radio broadcasting” and return it for revision.
The appeal was signed by Evgeniy Tislenko, Chairman of the Board of the Industrial Media Committee, and Director of Digital Technologies, Kubat Otorbaev. They note that the latest legislative initiatives in the field of television, initiated by the Kyrgyz government, were hastily and without discussion with the media community adopted in the Parliament.
Note that the deputies in two readings supported the package of amendments to the Law “On television and radio broadcasting”. One of the amendments prolongs the retransmission of the Russian channels “Channel 1. World Wide Web” and “RTR Planet” until 2023. The initiator of the changes was the Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism.
Tislenko and Otorbaev believe that the amendments are made in violation of procedural requirements.
“It should be noted that at the initiative of the Kyrgyz government, a draft law was introduced in the Parliament in the regime of maximum silence, without notifying local television and radio channels, on amendments to the Law on television and radio broadcasting. According to these amendments, again, a year later, foreign television channels are allowed to collect domestic advertising until 2023. In other words, it is allowed to take part of the funds from local television and radio companies, including state ones. On the part of the associations of TV and radio companies, corresponding statements were sent to the Parliament and government authorities with a request not to adopt the law in this edition and to invite the representatives of local TV and radio companies for discussion. However, all written appeals were ignored and not considered,” the authors of the appeal write.
According to them, the amendments will lead to the most negative consequences for the development of local television and independent domestic television and radio companies.
Tislenko and Otorbaev believe that the proposed changes will create unequal conditions in the broadcasting market, because, firstly, domestic television and radio channels will be required to broadcast at least 50 percent of domestic content in the state language, while this condition will not apply to foreign TV channels. Secondly, foreign TV channels will be able to collect domestic advertising provided that the requirements for the state language and broadcasting of domestic TV programs are not met, while local TV channels don’t have such opportunity.
“This will lead to a reduction and closure of independent Kyrgyz TV and radio channels due to the fact that foreign TV channels will take their share.
The burden of domestic TV channels’ support and distribution costs will increase, while the promotion of foreign TV channels with a different ideology, culture and language in the Kyrgyz Republic will be absolutely free for them due to the share of Kyrgyz TV and radio companies,” the authors of the appeal wrote.
Tislenko and Otorbaev in their letter to the President draw attention to important circumstances that were never taken into account when considering the bill in the Committees and the numerous appeals of representatives of local broadcasting companies. They indicate that the work of two foreign TV channels “Channel 1” and “RTR Planet” is carried out on the basis of the Agreement between the governments of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Russian Federation “On the procedure and conditions for the promotion of programs of Russian TV and radio broadcasting organizations in the Kyrgyz Republic”, which was concluded on March 28, 1996.
“According to the article 3 of the above document, it is determined that “the Kyrgyz side develops and implements the necessary organizational and technical measures to ensure high-quality reception of programs of Russian broadcasting organizations in the republic”. That is, the Kyrgyz side only undertakes to provide technical and organizational issues concerning the reception of programs in the Kyrgyz Republic. Moreover, according to the article 5 of the Agreement, it was established that “the programs of Russian broadcasting’s organizations are operated in the Kyrgyz Republic on a paid basis by concluding agreements between interested organizations of the parties”. Thus, the dissemination of programs of foreign TV and radio broadcasting organizations under the concluded Agreement should be carried out on a paid basis (i.e., the Kyrgyz side should receive appropriate funds from partners). However, despite the aforementioned condition, the bill proposes to pay for the dissemination of programs of foreign TV and radio broadcasting organizations at the expense of the share of domestic Kyrgyz TV and radio companies,” the statement says.
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