Representatives of the periodical press said the Chisinau City Hall during several months has been endeavoring to close the kiosks that sell newspapers and magazines. On different pretexts, they do so that the tender contests announced by the municipality to allocate places for locating kiosks are won by traders in food products.
In a news conference at IPN, Nicolae Josanu, of the magazine “Acasă”, said that 40 kiosks selling periodicals were already removed. “In all the respectable cities all over the world, there are kiosks selling periodicals. As these press units are a kind of visiting cards, they are present on the main arteries of cities. We should also have them so that our citizens, the tourists, foreigners can buy the existing Moldovan press, some maps or brochures. The kiosks should be also allowed to sell tea and coffee. Why not? We are against selling alcoholic drinks and cigarettes at these kiosks,” stated Nicolae Josanu.
According to Stan Lipcanu, of the weekly “Săptămâna”, the local authorities aim to liquidate these several units selling periodicals for economic reasons as they need to collect some money into the budget. “As it was mentioned earlier, the presence of the press should be ensured and these kiosks should be included into a touristic and architectural itinerary as intellectual presence in any town. There are many kiosks in district centers and their fate is not known. I don’t know what appropriate protesting methods can be used in this case. We want to be understood and helped somehow as it is in the interests of any administrator to have well-informed and elevated citizens,” stated Stan Lipcanu.
Andrei Moroșanu, of the magazine “Literatura și arta”, stated that he was profoundly surprised by the Chisinau Municipal Council’s and mayor Ion Ceban’s decision to remove the press kiosks as they are primarily a feature of the city. “I visited Rome in summer and I saw press kiosks there on all the streets. Now that they intend to close the kiosks with periodicals here, I’m afraid we will be the only ones in Europe who will not have papers and magazines. We call on the City Council, on Mister Ion Ceban in particular, to be indulgent and to solve this problem somehow,” said Andrei Moroșanu.
Elena Chaikovskaya, of the newspaper “Antena”, said they are the only tele-guide that has been issued in Moldova during over 25 years. It is yet harder for them to print the paper, also because the press kiosks are destroyed at a rapid pace. “I want to note that the existence of our paper depends on sales. We practically do not have advertisements and survive only due to the proceeds of sale,” she said, noting that about 50 newspapers and magazines went bankrupt in Moldova the past few years due to the liquidation of selling units.
