Antena C becomes two-show, one-voice radio station

Following reorganisation, “Antena C” has transformed into a radio station that airs only two shows and has a single voice, and the pluralism of information sources in news bulletins has been narrowed down. This statement belongs to Antena C employees, made Wednesday, February 21, at a news conference in front of Antena C’s building. Ecaterina Stratan, the former deputy director, says the situation is getting increasingly worse. In her words, for more than two weeks the journalists “are staying in a ghetto”, being massed in a narrow office on the first floor, where they are prohibited access to microphones and the Internet. They were recently announced they would not have access to phones either. Moreover, a number of journalists fell sick because of the permanent stress and humiliation they are subjected to by the new administration, says Stratan. Another problem, says Stratan, is that the new broadcasting schedule approved by the Broadcasting Coordination Council is not observed. BCC had monitored “FM 103.5” Balti-based radio for just 12 hours before it withdrew the station’s licence. At the same time, Antena C’s new administration that didn’t comply with the BCC decision which compelled it to follow the old broadcasting schedule, was given but a ridiculous fine, says Stratan. Antena C employees also said the administration has suggested them either to quit or become advertisement agents. They stated in turn they refuse the proposal, which they termed outrageous and disrespectful for a journalist’s dignity. The conference was held outdoors, in front of the radio’s building, because the administration prohibited the journalists from entering the premises. During the conference, the employees wore black ribbon tapes on their mouths, in sign of “the silence they were sentenced to”. The conference was attended by Vladimir Ristovski, Special Representative of the Council of Europe's Secretary General. The journalists that were attending the conference tried to find out the opinion of Antena C director Veaceslav Satnic on the subject, but were told by the guard that Satnic was busy and that he would eventually convene another news conference to comment. Antena C and Euro TV municipal stations were sold by the Chisinau Council (CMC) to private persons in early 2007. The staffs, a number of political parties, the civil society, as well as a number of international organisations disputed the legality of the CMC decision, labelling it political. The staffs sued the respective decision in court.