PARTIES VOICE DISCONTENT OVER HIGH ADVERTISING CHARGES
Armenpress
Feb 09 2007
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS: Armenian parliament members voiced
today their discontent at local television companies for setting
excessively high price for one minute of political advertising ahead
of May 12 parliamentary elections.
Thus Public TV which has the largest auditorium in the country said
it will ask 80,000 drams (more than $200) per one minute of political
advertising, while private companies indicated they would charge even a
higher price. Opposition leaders said it was a government-engineered
plan to scare opposition parties away from TV screens. Artashes
Geghamian, head of one of the biggest opposition National Unity party
said his party will ignore utterly the paid advertisement.
But Mher Shahgeldian of ex-parliament chairman Arthur Baghdasarian’s
Orinats Yerkir praised the Public TV for charging less than private
television channels. Galust Sahakian, head of the Republican Party’s
parliament faction, said apart form paid time parties are entitled
also to free advertising time.