Chisinau, Bucharest negotiating TVR1 live broadcasts

The Governments from Bucharest and Chisinau are negotiating arrangements for the live retransmissions of TVR1 programmes on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, Info-Prim Neo learned form sources within the Romanian channel’s Department for International Relations. “The cooperation protocol between the Romanian Society of Television (SRTv) and the Ministry of Informational Development (MID) of Moldova concerning TVR1 live broadcasts for the period January-June 2007 expired on June 13 once the funds transferred for the retransmission were entirely depleted”. Shortly after signing the document on 28 December 2006, the Romanian channel made appeals to find further financing that would ensure the incessancy of the retransmission in Moldova. Following the requests made, the Romanian Government located the specific financing sources and announced the Moldovan authorities about them in the course of June 2007, with the inter-governmental and inter-ministerial negotiations being under way. Furthermore, at the request of the authorities in Chisinau, the Radiocommunication agency didn’t halt the retransmission of TVR1 after July 13. According to the Department for International Relations of TVR1, after the governments negotiate the payment terms, SRTv and MID will conclude a new protocol on the retransmission of TVR1 in Moldova. The protocol will cover retroactively the expenses incurred for the retransmission after June 13, and the financing terms and duration will be agreed upon by the two parties. The Broadcasting Coordination Council (BCC) decided to auction the state-owned network no.2, which retransmits the channel, after MID said it sustained daily losses of 25,000 lei because TVR1 suspended payments for the services rendered by Radiocommunication. Asked to comment on the issue, BCC chairman Vlad Turcanu told Info-Prim Neo that the members of the Council learned about the problem quite late, because the ex-chairman Corneliu Mihalache concealed the specific information provided by the Ministry. MDI said in a letter that the new agreement failed to be concluded, and the BCC’s request to receive further details was left without an answer. Turcanu further stated that he ordered sending a letter to SRTv to find out their point of view, and in case the existence of negotiations is confirmed, BCC will examine the issue, “because we cannot deprive hundreds of thousands of viewers of this television channel”, BCC chairman underlined.