Today, at a time when the Prime Minister was stating that the logo of at least two TV channels in Armenia could be labeled as “corruption”, at the same time the future of TV and radio companies was being discused in the National Assembly where pluralism should have no alternative. The long-debated bill on television and radio came out of the agenda after a series of controversial issues. Today the name of the bill was reformulated. Chairman of the Television and Radio Commission Tigran Hakobyan noted that the new law should not regulate the activities of television and radio but the provision of audiovisual services. Therefore, it should not be called “On Television and Radio”, but “On Broadcasting” or “On Providing Audiovisual Services and Providers”. According to him, the current law hardly regulate legal relations in the media, does not define the national audiovisual field, does not contribute to the development of TV companies and the development of TV companies in Armenia slows down because audiovisual providers are not fully controlled and are free in both content and copyright rights violations, and in terms of linguistic norms, and so on. Tigran Hakobyan thinks that the technical licensing of TV’s should be abolished, instead the ways of providing these audio-visual services should be strictly licensed. Tigran Hakobyan stressed the importance of having a digital broadcasting network; multiplex. “It is not clear yet whether it is technically possible to have private countrywide multiplexes and regional multiplexes. Some say fantastic investments are needed.” According to him, it is logical that public multiplex broadcasters in all countries meet strict standards. “It is only in Armenia that these standards are not developed. In this regard, we are in a “mess”. ”
TRC head also touched upon the remark of Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport, initiated by the parliamentary hearings, that the law on TV and Radio does not correspond to the logic of post-revolutionary Armenia. According to Tigran Hakobyan, the problem does not have political context, but the necessity to meet the 21st century standards.
Speeches were delivered by those responsible for the field and the representatives of interested structures, including our partner Media Advocate Initiative, MPs. The questions we raised were related to freedom of speech, pluralism in the country, as well as the plurality of the media, which was also touched upon by the Director News and Public-Political Programs at Yerkir Media TV, Gegham Manukyan, noting that the beautiful words are far from reality and today the TV companies are under the greatest pressure. “The law dictates us, you can this or you cannot, and with the restrictions, constraints that are needed, of course, we will be on cable TV. There are also Internet TVs that do not obey the law on television but are on the same platform with us.” There are political forces that have decided not to appear on television at all, so can television provide versatility and objectivity in this case?” Manukyan said.
Emphasizing such discussions, “Media Advocate” Initiative hopes that the authors of the draft law will not bypass the concerns and suggestions raised, and that the final version will be one that will satisfy all sides and will not be in the best interests of the political authorities of the day.
