http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav013107a.shtml
AZERBAIJAN’S CAMPAIGN AGAINST FOREIGN TV TARGETS RUSSIA Rufat Abbasov and Mina Muradova 1/31/07 An Azerbaijani government decision to ban Russian television channels from domestic broadcast frequencies has caused lots of grumbling among television viewers in the Caucasus nation. In early January, Azerbaijan’s National Television and Radio Council announced plans to take two state-run Russian television channels -- ORT (Channel 1) and RTR-Planeta -- off the air. Both channels, as well as a privately run Turkish channel, STV, will lose their signal on July 1. The council switched off another privately owned Turkish channel, Kanal D, on January 3. Together, the four television channels provide the bulk of foreign television news content available to Azerbaijanis without subscribing to a cable or satellite service. The decision is not the first to target foreign broadcasters. As of January 1, the British Broadcasting Corp., Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty were banned from domestic Azerbaijani airwaves. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Some domestic stations have been targeted as well. After a strong domestic and international outcry, a controversial ban on independent television and radio broadcaster ANS was lifted in December 2006. The station’s license is expected to come up for review again in early February. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Already, residents say they are feeling the effects of the NTRC’s latest move to tighten up broadcast regulations. "Which channels will we watch now?" complained 43-year-old Baku resident Sanubar Allahverdiyeva, who bought a satellite dish as soon as Kanal D lost its broadcast frequency. "The quality of Azerbaijani television leaves much to be desired." As elsewhere in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, television dominates local media. About 88 percent of the population of Baku and 93 percent of the population outside of the capital consider television to be their main source of information, according to the 2006 report of the International Foundation for Election Systems. With the quality of Azerbaijani programming widely seen as lacklustre, though, the Turkish and Russian channels that broadcast on Azerbaijan’s national frequencies had carved out large shares of Azerbaijan viewers seeking entertainment and news. In justifying their action, Azerbaijani officials have emphasized both a need to follow global practices for television broadcasting regulations and to defend the domestic market. "National frequencies in Azerbaijan should belong only to local channels," the Turan news agency reported Council Chairman Nushiravan Maharramli as saying. Allowing foreign channels to broadcast on regular television frequencies, he noted, "would be against the law, international practice, and the interests of local TV channels." Instead, foreign-owned channels wishing to broadcast in Azerbaijan can turn to satellite or cable television, he added. One media activist believes that the NTRC’s actions might give some cable companies a hefty chunk of the television market. "The work of the NTRC is not transparent. It has allowed some cable companies to work in local television, but we do not know who they are and what kind of services they are providing," commented Rashid Gadjili, director of the Baku-based Internews Institute of Media Rights. (Internews receives funding from the Open Society Institute. EurasiaNet operates under the auspices of OSI-New York). Gadjili added that demand for satellite dishes has also considerably increased, with "some families even buying two dishes for Russian and Turkish channels." The daily newspaper Echo reported that the NTCR has given operating licenses to 10 cable TV companies, but only half of them are actually providing services. According to the report, Azerbaijan currently has 25,000-30,000 cable subscribers. It added that the NTCR reportedly hopes the number of cable subscribers will double within six months. While foreign news broadcasts on satellite or cable networks are standard practice in the West, Azerbaijan’s decision comes with a catch. If Russia allows Azerbaijan’s state-run AzTV to broadcast free-of-charge within Russia, the same courtesy will be extended to ORT and RTR-Planeta, according to officials in Baku. A similar deal has already been extended to Turkey’s state-run TRT channel. Failing that, the two Russian channels could sign up with an Azerbaijani cable broadcaster, NTCR Chairman Maharramli has said. Russia, already mindful of past spats with Azerbaijan over gas, has hedged its response. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. At a January 18 press conference, Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vasiliy Istratov characterized the NTCR decision as Azerbaijan’s "sovereign right." He added that ORT and RTR-Planeta are "ready for talks with the Azerbaijani Ministry of Communications, the NRTC and local television channels." Allowing Azerbaijani channels to broadcast their programs on Russian channels in return for a fee might be one solution to the stand-off, Istratov added. "Mutually acceptable solutions can be found, if there is a mutual desire," he said. An earlier statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed hope that the dispute would be resolved "legally" and "in the spirit of partnership." Russian television broadcasts in Azerbaijan have been regulated by a 1995 inter-governmental agreement, which gave either side the right to cancel the deal with at least six months notice. The Azerbaijani government declined to renew the agreement upon its expiration in early January. Turkey’s outgoing ambassador, Turan Morali, has taken a less diplomatic stance, arguing that the government should not decide questions of broadcast rights. "Azerbaijan and Turkey are fraternal countries, but such issues should be resolved by the TV companies themselves, not by the governments," local media outlets quoted him as saying in early January. Independent political analyst Leyla Aliyeva believes that the NTRC’s decision is "most likely" related to Gazprom’s recent decision to double the price for gas delivered to Azerbaijan to $235 per 1,000 cubic meters. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. At the same time, Aliyeva believes a desire to retaliate against Moscow’s recent restrictions on foreign labor migrants in Russia may also have played a role. The restrictions would hit Azerbaijanis particularly hard. "[I]t’s a way to achieve two goals: First, to show to Russia that Azerbaijan is quite an independent country and, on the other hand, to prevent the transmission of alternative information sources on the country’s territory," Aliyeva said. Another Baku-based political analyst, Rasim Musabayov, considers the Council’s decision correct, and argues that the NTRC’s action conforms to international practice. "There is no ground to dramatize the situation and speak about the deterioration of relations with Russia," he commented. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani viewers, bemoaning the quality of local channels, are making their own preparations. "I do not know what is the reason for making such a decision, whether it’s political or not, but anyway ordinary viewers will be harmed," said Rena Guliyeva, a 28-year-old secondary school teacher in Baku. "I grew up with Russian TV and my family watches mainly these channels." For Guliyeva, as well as for hundreds of other Azerbaijanis, the solution is plain: Save money and buy a satellite dish. Editor’s Note: Mina Muradova and Rufat Abbasov are freelance reporters in Baku. Posted January 31, 2007 © Eurasianet +++ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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