“Antena C” and “Euro TV” – liquidation and effects. Commentary by Info-Prim Neo

The decision on the reorganisation via alienation of the public municipal broadcasting stations “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau” is probably the most far-reaching attack over the press and journalists who are inconvenient to the ruling party, since 2004 until nowadays. It is worth to remind that in the summer of 2004, the activity of these stations was suspended by the Audiovisual Coordinating Council (ACC) because, as it stated, there are legal deficiencies in their activity. In August 2004, several journalists from “Teleradio-Moldova” (TRM), who were still criticizing the government “flunked the exam” for the selection in the Company, which has been named public afterwards. The same story occurred on March 29 this year, when Speaker Marian Lupu announced at a press conference the existence of a draft Audiovisual Code, which passed the first reading a week later, without being presented to the wide public and debated with the civil society. The following 3 months, until the final vote, the civil society organized a series of seminars and roundtables where the draft of the future law was discussed, proposals were given and alternative versions drawn up, but in the end it became clear that this effort is to a great extent futile. The draft was voted at the end of the Parliament’s last sitting and came into force on August 18. One of the most debated aspects of the Audiovisual Code was the fact that the new law was not stipulating the existence or activity of other public broadcasters but TRM, therefore the acting local public institutions were to be reorganized. These new provisions were qualified by many experts as a clear attempt to liquidate the institutions which are inconvenient to the government. Despite all the talks, regardless of the debates within the Parliament, the Chisinau Municipal Council adopted on November 30, by the vote of the Communist and Christian-Democrat Councillors the decision on the reorganisation via alienation of the 2 municipal stations. [“All the solutions are good, but we’ll choose the worst one”] The reorganisation was presented as a necessary solution in light of adjusting the activity of the 2 institutions to the provisions of the Code. The problem is that officially no one knows how this process will be carried out. Neither the Code nor other legislative acts directly stipulate solutions in this case. More, some laws are at variance with others. As in any other cases when there are no answers, rumours appear. According to some persons, the 2 stations will be portioned out between the Communist and Christian-democrat partners. Those who are better informed know even that the communists will take “Euro TV Chisinau” and the Christian-Democrats – “Antena C”. According to other persons, the interim mayor Vasile Ursu will be “endowed” with one of the stations. There are even persons who know about a buyer from Turkey for “Euro TV” and a German one for “Antena C”. The staff-members of the stations, the civil society, politicians, and the audience disapprove this decision. And this is known for sure. The municipal council had several reorganisation options. The stations presented to CMC their own proposals. Several councillors proposed alternative projects. According to one of them, a commission which would have analyzed the situation and would have proposed several possibilities of reorganisation had to be created. It was also suggested to transform the two stations into NGOs etc. In the end, after many debates, the decision on the alienation was voted, which will most probably lead to the privatisation of “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau” and in fact to the liquidation of two institutions with a public message. It seems that this solution is favouring neither the local broadcasting institutions, nor the staffs and, what is the most important, the information consumers, too. So, who is to profit from this situation? Are these rumours, which gain intensity lately, true? [Are the Communists cheating and Christian-Democrats keeping their word?] Vice speaker of the Parliament Iurie Rosca, the leader of the People’s Christian Democrat Party (PPCD) knew back in April that “Antena C” and “Euro TV” will be closed down. Rosca stated at an international seminar that “the municipal public institutions “Antena C” and “Euro TV” will be liquidated as public institutions and then privatised, after the Audiovisual Code comes into force”. Asked if the residents of the city will be consulted on this issue, Rosca said: “We do not ask anyone, we are parliamentarians. We shall ask in 2009”. On the other hand, the Communist MP Victor Stepaniuc, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for culture, science, education, youth, sports and media, stated at a joint press conference in late June with Marianne Mikko, co-chairman of the Moldova-EU Parliamentary Cooperation Committee that the European experts confirmed the fact that the public stations “should probably work”. The experts confirmed that by public stations they mean all the public broadcasting institutions, not only those with national coverage. “Such stations will exist”, the Communist MP promised. However, it turns out to be true that “such stations will not exist”. We ask again: Did Rosca know more than Stepaniuc or did the latter make these pronouncements only to impress the European official, as it usually happens in Moldova?! [Preparations for the 2007 elections begin] Independent councillor Mihai Roscovan has recently stated that at the time when he was the leader of the Christian-Democrat faction from CMC, the initiative to suspend the financing of the 2 municipal stations came directly from Iurie Rosca. Roscovan declared that on the eve of the 2005 electoral campaign, the PPCD faction from CMC managed to convince Rosca of those 2 stations’ utility and of the fact that the stations mirror the events impartially and equidistantly. Apparently, namely these arguments – unbiasedness and equidistance – are not on Rosca’s liking after the “political consensus of April 4”. Those who want to reorganise the institutions wish from all their heart that these stations do not work in this format in the electoral campaign in 2007. There are 4 months before the electoral campaign begins, period during which “the reformers” must succeed in liquidating the institutions, privatise them, frame another editorial policy, dismiss the journalists who will not like to work at someone’s order and select others who will obey “boss”. It is a lot of work to do and little time, therefore the speed of the events speaks about the serious intentions of scenario’s authors. All of us acknowledge the fact that the liquidation and transformation of the present public broadcasting institutions will create a gap in the local broadcasting field. These events remind us of the discussions about the corporate solidarity. Recently, Maria Diminet, one of the leaders of the Liberal Party accused the journalists that they are guilty of the situation of the 2 institutions, in other words – of the lack of attitude. “The only solution is to strengthen our efforts and invoke the power we have”, she stated. [History Repeats] Moldovan journalists should learn from their Russian colleagues who boycotted the press conference from Minsk, which was organized within the CIS Summit of heads of state, as a token of protest against the refuse of the Belarus authorities to accept 3 journalists to the conference. Shortly after his arrival from the Summit, Vladimir Voronin also organized a briefing at which the press was invited selectively. And the journalists resigned! It is not for the first time when the Presidency blatantly neglects the obligation to inform [all] the public opinion about country’s state of affairs, but selects carefully the list of the trumpets which would write “correctly” and would not ask inconvenient questions. The disunity of the journalists, who are split into several camps, in many cases hostile to each other, is dangerous for any press body. Let us recall the “Bragis case” aired on Pro TV Chisinau. In comparison with the forthcoming liquidation of “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau”, the problem of Pro TV was … quite minor, if we have the right to call less important the imprisonment of a person. Back then, the media from Moldova took up an attitude and it helped. Why isn’t a similar attitude taken up in this case, then? The history of media from Moldova can tell us many stories of “politically and legally correct” liquidation of press bodies. It may look like nothing serious is happening. But let us not forget that the employees of the 2 municipal institutions had similar experiences previously. It is worth to remind about the hunger strike they declared in 2004, about the protests in front of ACC headquarters. The journalists of the 2 stations managed to gather an impressive number of people to protest twice in two months at that moment. And because we mentioned about history, let us not forget that the Velvet Revolution from Prague started from an attempt of the government to close a media institution in 1989.