Tomsk: The pioneer Russian broadcast company TV-2, one of the country’s first independent commercial stations, may have to put its plans to celebrate its 25th anniversary next year on hold if the local state monopoly goes through with plans to turn off its transmitters for what TV-2 believes are political reasons.
On November 30, the Tomsk-based company was notified by the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network (RTRS), a local division of the state monopoly that owns broadcasting facilities, that it would not be renewing TV-2’s contract when it expires at the end of December. If implemented, the decision will turn off the station’s signal on 1 January 2015, silencing yet another independent Russian media outlet.
Roscomnadzor, the federal authority for information technologies and communications, has also informed TV-2 that as it will not be able to transmit from January 2015, the station’s licence extension, which was recently granted until 2025, will be revoked.
More than 4,000 people took the streets of Tomsk on 14 December to protest the threatened closure of the broadcaster.
This is not the first time that TV-2 has been involved in a conflict with RTRS. Earlier this year, TV-2 was not able to broadcast its signal because of repair works at RTRS’ facilities that lasted an unexpectedly long time. “About a month after we had been switched off the air, because of the long repairs, we started to actively speak out in the press. There were rallies in support of us. Maybe, RTRS perceived that as political pressure and got offended,” Viktor Muchnik, TV-2 Editor-in-Chief told the BBC Russian Service.
“We can presume that some people do not like some of our reports. For example, the governor [of the Tomsk region]. But I cannot bluntly say that he is in charge of the termination of our broadcasts. I have no proof. I know that the local government often discusses our reports. And many of the reports on everyday issues are considered political. I cannot say who exactly is annoyed with our reports but certain law enforcement agencies send letters about us to the top,” Muchnik said in an interview with the BBC Russian service.
During the 24 years of its existence TV-2 has been on the verge of closure many times. Last spring, when the broadcasts were suspended, the station’s licence was nearly terminated by Roscomnadzor, the federal authority for information technologies and communications. But the company admits that never has the threat been so grave or so imminent.
TV and Radio company TV-2 was founded in November 1990 and its first broadcast was on May 15, 1991. The company is the major asset of the Tomsk Media Group holding company which also runs cable channels, an advertising agency and a number of radio stations. Four of the TV-2 team are members of the Russian TV Academy. The company has a reputation for providing accurate and independent news reporting on important political and social issues. It has been awarded 22 TEFI awards by the Russian TV Academy.
RTRS (Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network) is a Russian state monopoly, providing terrestrial air transmission of TV and Radio channels over the whole of the Russian Federation.
(Source: TV-2 press release)