Chisinau Municipal Council keeps in economic-financial chess situation the TV stations and radios of the capital

Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) keeps in economic-financial chess situation public radio and TV stations of the capital. In its meeting of 28 February, CMC did not approve the financial draft for 2006 of the TV station Euro-TV Chisinau and decided to open the financing only fore half of the of the radio Antena C. the counsellors of certain factions argued their position through “the care for modernising these institutions” and “for spending public money”, the others appreciated the situation as “trials” and “harassment of municipal press agencies with the purpose to liquidate, lasting for years”. Both decision drafts had positive notices of the speciality commissions of CMC and were voted, in first reading, with the majority of votes, but the discussions had contrary result. The leader of the faction Christian Democratic people’s Party (PPCD), Alexandru Corduneanu, insisted that the approval of financial plans to be conditioned by drafting, till 31 March, the “modernising plan of the institutions, after a technical, professional and managerial evaluation”. Communist counsellor Valeri Pavlov required additionally to present a plan of maximum auto-financing with the formula “we equipped you with everything, you are a commercial institutions, we have to earn your money”. Pavlov required approval of financing Euro TV only for the first half of this year. Another Communist counsellor, Grigore Mara, required a report for 2005. Independent counsellor Mihai Roscovan proposed to discuss separately the investment and operational projects for Euro TV, such a way that resources foreseen for investments to be approved integrally, if the modernisation of the station is required, the other allocations being conditioned according to previous requests. Independent counsellor Igor Crapivca reproached to management to Euro TV “the lack of malleability in negotiation with the budget commission” who’s president is the fact as well that he did not learn the lesson of the municipal news agency “Info-Prim”, which was liquidated in similar conditions. At the proposal of Igor Crapivca management of Antena C was forced to give up the contract concluded and passed through public assessments of informational services with the news agency “Info-Prim Neo”, being accepted in the same time the contracts of 3 news agencies. Instead, “unlearned lesson of „Info-Prim” cost Euro TV non-acceptance of the financial project and lost of dozens of thousand of lei during the preliminary financing” – counsellor Crapivca. Manager of Euro TV Chisinau Arcadie Gherasim noted that the stations respects its assumed commitments of passing step by step to auto financing and denied the affirmation regarding creation of insufficient conditions by CMC, including technical equipment, in order to collect more profits for its own. According to him, the founder offered resources for fix funds of 300,000 lei, which were sufficient for purchasing two cameras. Manager of Antena C Vasile State said that, in conditions of non-financing of the local budget, it is impossible the activity of this radio station, which has a great volume of cognitive, educative, cultural broadcasts, for community’s sake. This way the institution respects its statute and functions as public institution. That’s why, municipal council, as founder, has to ensure the technical equipment and station’s development. Contrarily it transforms into commercial one and the local public authorities have to stimulate the creation of another commercial station. In the same time, State noted that inappropriate financing of the municipal budget does not allow the station to schedule efficiently its activities for the whole year. State mentioned that last years it was noted a negative attitude of the municipal council towards the mass media institutions with financing of the local budget, “being imposed the impression that this money is begged”. At his turn, the counsellor of the party “Alliance “Moldova Noastra” (AMN) Oleg Cernei, said that discussing the budgets of the municipal press “look like trials”, counsellors treating them as “hostile institutions”. Cernei predicted a hidden subtext in the fact that the financial drafts were approved at their stage of analysis in commissions, and very serious objections are put only at the end of the first quarter of the financing year. He reproached the Communist counsellor, Grigore Mara, non-acceptance of the invitations to public debates organised by Euro TV, thing that, on his opinion, reduces the quality and usefulness of the broadcasts. “The counsellors also have responsibility for the situation of municipal stations, not only reporters’ teams” Oleg Cernei said. “For 3 years we participate in the permanent harassment of the municipal press bodies, – AMN counsellor Pavel Armasu. – the conclusion is that it is followed their destruction and this has to be said frankly.” “There was no moment, quarter, when we could finance them normally. What kind of creation we can expect from these teams, if they always are threatened?”- Armasu asked his colleagues of CMC. According to financial project of Euro TV Chisinau, CMC shall allot for this year 1 million lei for purchasing a transmitter and another 1,3 million lei for employees’ wages. Allocations of the municipal budget should represent 40% of planned resources, the rest being completed of the own sources. For the radio Antena C, the counsellors approved financing of 2 million, half of them conditioned. The total amount of allocations for both municipal stations, included in financial drafts, is about 4,2 million lei. For comparison, allocations of the state budget for Public Company Teleradio-Moldova in last years is approved in 36 million lei.