PRO TV challenges BCC’s refusal to renew channels’ license in court

PRO TV appealed the Broadcasting Coordination Council’s decision not to renew the license of the channel on December 19. PRO TV considers that the moratorium imposed by the BCC on the organization of a contest for PRO TV frequencies cannot solve the essence of the problem, Info-Prim Neo reports. “We consider that we have the right to get a renewed broadcast license in compliance with article 24 of the Broadcasting Code and will take all the legal measures in order to get the license,” PRO TV Chisinau director Catalin Giosan says in a communique. Representatives of Opposition parties also consider that the moratorium set by the BCC does not resolve the issue. The president of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM) Vlad Filat has told Info-Prim Neo that the moratorium is a political decision made by the Communist Party under pressure from the international community that comes to minimize and mask the persecutions of the independent mass media. Filat says that it does not exempt the BCC from the obligation to extend the licenses of the broadcasters as it is stipulated in the Broadcasting Code. “The legal norm, regardless of the period covered by Moldova, must be mandatory,” said the PLDM leader. MP Leonid Bujor, the secretary of the parliamentary group of the Moldova Noastra Alliance (AMN) Party, said that by the given decision, the BCC recognized in fact that the actions taken by the BCC against PRO TV are illegal”. “We regret that the BCC has not gone further and demand that the Parliament abrogate the stipulation of the BCC regulations that bans renewing broadcasters’ licenses,” said the AMN MP, stressing that the regulations cannot prevail over the Broadcasting Code. On the other hand, the Communist MP Grigorie Petrenco said at the Parliament’s sitting that the parliamentary group of the PCRM welcomes the BCC’s decision to impose a moratorium on holding contests until the 2009 legislative elections. “We think that this decision is balanced and wise as it will allow all the radio and TV stations to wok during the election period and will eliminate all the related speculations and suspicions.” Petrenco said that the artificial scandal around PRO TV damaged Moldova’s image abroad and he demanded that the Opposition parties do not denigrate Moldova. “This denigration campaign turned out to be an ordinary misinformation campaign. The license of PRO TV was not withdrawn and no radio or television station runs the risk of remaining without license,” the Communist MP said. On December 19, the BCC imposed a moratorium on the contests for licenses that expire before the parliamentary elections. At the start of December, the Council refused to renew the PRO TV’s license that expires on December 23, but the channel will continue to broadcast until it is issued with a new license.