CCA urges authorities to undertake actions to resume activity of “Antena C” without further delay

The Audiovisual Coordinating Council (CCA) calls on the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) and the “Radiocomunicatii” State Enterprise to undertake necessary actions in order to urgently resume the activity of “Antena C” radio station. ACC made a statement in this respect, after it had organised public debates on this subject on January 16, and work sitting took place on Friday, January 19. The statement says that after the technical problems that appeared on December 16, 2006 had been removed, “Radiocomunicatii” did not prolong the contract with “Antena C”, for the reason that it “does not trust the payment capacity” of the station, which had maintained relations without incidents for eight years. At the same time, it is mentioned that CMC, as founder, did not make efforts to resume the broadcasting signal of the radio station. At the same time, CCA calls the respective institutions’ attention to the provision outlined in the Broadcasting Code regarding the inadmissibility of liquidating the radiobroadcasters that are being reorganised. If CCA will be forced to withdraw the broadcasting license of the station for a signal disruption of more than 45 days, CMC and Radiocumunicatii will be to blame for the liquidation, the CCA members say. In the course of the Friday’s sitting, interim manager of “Antena C” Veaceslav Satnic announced that the Radiocomunicatii’s director Victor Badulescu stated he signed the contract for 2007, but it stays at the Ministry of Information Development and is to be signed by the National Agency for Public Acquisitions. Satnic also said he could not get the contract on Friday. Ghenadie Gluscenco, CMC representative, declined to comment on ACC’s statement. Ecaterina Stratan, vice director of the station, says that at present “Antena C” is being censored through the signal’s disruption for more than one month. Stratan hopes that the authorities in charge will take attitude and will conclude the contract without delay, proving that CMC, as founder, did not undertake anything to resume Antena C’s activity.