AMENDMENTS AND ADDENDA TO LAW ON TELEVISION AND RADIO PROPOSED BY GOVERNMENT PASSED IN FIRST READING
NOYAN TAPAN
MAY 21, 2010
YEREVAN
The RA National Assembly on May 20 in the first reading adopted
amendments and addenda to the law On Television and Radio proposed
by the government, which proceed from the conception of radio and
television broadcasting digitization in the RA territory.
According to the bill, on July 20, 2010 the National Commission of
Television and Radio will announce a licensing tender for 18 TV
broadcastors. There are 22 operating TV channels at present. The
winners will be given a licence for 10 years, from January 20, 2011.
The period until July 20, 2013 will be time of passing from analogue
to digital broadcasting.
According to the bill, 9 TV channels of republican and Yerevan coverage
with thematic direction will broadcast by the digitial network. They
are two TV channels of the Public TV and Radio Company (1 of general
direction, 1 spiritual-cultural), 5 private TV channels of general
direction, 1 private TV channel of general direction, 1 rebroadcasting
TV channel.
There will be 4 rebroadcasting TV channels and 5 private TV channels
in Yerevan, 1 of them for entertainment, 1 for youth, 1 musical,
1 for children and youth, scientific, educational, cognitive, 1,
international and local information-analytical.
The parliamentary opposition, Heritage and ARFD faction members voted
down the bill. The day before, at the end of the discussion of this
disputable bill, the NA Speaker said that the bill does not solve
essential problems of passing to digitization. He proposed holding
parliamentary hearings with participation of all interested sides
after adoption of the bill in the first reading.