KYRGYZ BROADCAST MEDIA: THE INFLUENTIAL AIRWAVES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BISHKEK 001752 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, R, PA AND INR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL KPAO KG SUBJECT: KYRGYZ BROADCAST MEDIA: THE INFLUENTIAL AIRWAVES BISHKEK 00001752 001.2 OF 003 Sensitive but Unclassified. Not for Internet distribution. ¶1. (U) This is the third in a series of cables on the state of the media in Kyrgyzstan, with additional cables covering Kyrgyz National TV (KTR) and an overall analysis to follow. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Clearly all parties in the political spectrum of Kyrgyzstan see broadcast media as the most powerful and effective method of reaching a wide audience. Thus, influential businessmen and politicians continue to vie for control of the various television stations, with the exception of state-owned National TV (KTR),the only station with national coverage. Often a change in ownership is followed by a change in editorial policy and, through the years, the friction has often been between independent stations and the presiding president. On the other hand, radio airwaves blanket the population with the greatest coverage, especially in rural areas and with low-income families, for the least amount of financial backing. Although there are more than twenty-five radio stations in Bishkek and dozens more throughout the country, most are entertainment only stations and few receive recognition as a viable conduit for political rhetoric from either end of the political spectrum. END SUMMARY. VYING FOR CONTROL OF KYRGYZ TELEVISION -------------- KOORT ¶3. (SBU) The Kyrgyz Public Educational Radio and Television Company (KOORT) is a privately owned broadcast company that has changed hands numerous times since its inception. Until the "Tulip Revolution" in 2005, KOORT had been considered the most frequently viewed of all private Kyrgyz TV stations in the country. KOORT offered over 60 hours per week of locally produced programs in the Chui, Osh, Jalalabad, Issyk-Kul and Talas oblasts. The remaining airtime was filled with programming from Russia's NTV. Over the last year, however, these programs have been reduced to a handful of news segments repeated several times a day and coverage has been reduced to the Chui oblast only. Former President Akayev's son-in-law reportedly owned the station until 2005. Since then, a group of minority stockholders as well as various political figures have all attempted to take control of the media company. Most recently, Valery Belokon, the Latvian business partner of President Bakiyev's brother, Maxim, is rumored to have purchased KOORT and will rename it 5th Channel as of January 1, 2007. Sources close to the TV station have already claimed that the channel will be "critical of everyone, with the exception of the Bakiyev family." NTS ¶4. (SBU) Created in November 2004 by Russian oil firm Alyans, Novaya Televizionnaya Set (NTS) debuted in Chui, Issyk-Kul, Naryn and Osh oblasts as a private station re-broadcasting Russia's TNT. Although NTS was also awarded exclusive broadcasting rights to Russia's First Channel, the Akayev regime refused to recognize these rights and continued to broadcast the Russian programs on a channel controlled by the state, thus benefiting from the lucrative advertising deals. During the 2005 "Tulip Revolution", NTS General Director Oksana Malevanaya, was part of the opposition against Akayev and actively participated in the March 24 events. NTS began broadcasting its own content on the day of the revolution. ¶5. (SBU) In September 2006, Alyans was purchased by GAZPROM, but local Kyrgyz general manager, Omurbek Babanov, did not include NTS in the package and retains control of the station. Babanov, a pro-opposition parliamentarian, directed NTS to broadcast the November 2006 demonstrations in support of the opposition to criticize the government. During this BISHKEK 00001752 002.2 OF 003 time, unknown individuals cut power to the station's antennae in Bishkek and Osh. Although armed guards and generators quickly restored broadcasts from the Bishkek antenna, the southern antenna, apparently rented from the government, has yet to resume transmission in the south. Babanov recently told the Ambassador he is interested in making NTS a &public8 TV station, as a means of insulating the station from political pressure. PYRAMIDA TV ¶6. (SBU) Broadcasting in the Chui oblast and Osh City, Pyramida TV was the only independent, private station during the Akayev era. The station grew in popularity until March 2003, when, in an attempt to suppress independent media, the Akayev government cut the firm's access to VHF signals. This move crippled the station's ratings and drastically reduced access by viewers. In late 2003, as part of a plan to revitalize Pyramida, the company offered media firm Areopag 50% of stock as collateral for a loan of several million dollars. Allegedly owned by Akayev's son, Areopag's influence quickly changed Pyramida's editorial policy towards the president, and Pyramida staff complained that station managers misused the funds for personal gain. ¶7. (SBU) Since March 2005, Pyramida has been the target of numerous attacks in an effort to disable its broadcast capabilities. In August 2005, unknown men disassembled Pyramida's transmitting equipment, halting all broadcasts. Nearly ready to recommence transmissions, on September 28, 2006 several staff members were physically assaulted and the television station was torched, causing over $200,000 in damage. Many saw this attack as a form of strong-arming Adylbek Biynazarov, president and owner of 45% of stock in the firm, to relinquish control to InvestMedia, a company said to be controlled by President Bakiyev's son, Maxim. InvestMedia, reportedly the successor to Areopag, claims to own Areopag's Pyramida shares and demands ownership rights. Biynazarov maintains that the stock is being held as collateral and that InvestMedia has no legal rights over Pyramida. As the two sides face off in court, the television station broadcasts on UHF to a fraction of its potential audience. Currently, Pyramida TV holds vital VHF licenses but lacks the essential equipment to resume broadcasting. RADIO: THE FORGOTTEN MEDIA -------------- AZATTYK ¶8. (SBU) In operation since 1990, Azattyk Radio is the Kyrgyz language service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) covering nearly the entire country and maintains that approximately 18% of the population listens to its FM and Shortwave broadcasts. Azattyk Radio was by and large untouched by the authorities until just three days before parliamentary elections in February 2005, when KyrgyzTelecom's State Broadcasting Company auctioned several of Azattyk's frequencies. This action was a clear sign that the Akayev regime felt the need to reduce the impact of unbiased news reports during the elections. These frequencies have since been restored. However, Azattyk rents some of its airwaves from the state-owned television and radio company, leaving them vulnerable to arbitrary service cuts. Since the change in government in 2005, Azattyk had anticipated but not yet received more support from the Bakiyev government in establishing additional airwave licenses and improving broadcast capabilities. However, rumors are circulating that the government plans to cut Azattyk's signal in the south and many rural areas. Azattyk Radio station fills the inexpensive, balanced information void left by a state-run TV station and newspapers. ALMAZ BISHKEK 00001752 003.2 OF 003 ¶9. (SBU) FM station Almaz is best known for its rebroadcasts of programs from Azattyk Radio (RFE/RL Kyrgyz Service), Svaboda Radio (RFE/RL Russian Service),Deutsche Welle, Voice of America, and Moscow-based Mayak Radio. Started in 1992, Almaz is an independent station based in Bishkek but serves as the mother organization for several regional stations. Established in 1997, Almaz-Yug was the first independent radio station in Osh and currently the most popular in the region. Almaz-Naryn was founded in 2001 and is funded by sales of advertising, together with grant support from the Soros Foundation and Internews to produce various pieces on topics such as human rights, health, social and youth issues. The founder of Almaz, Rustam Koshmuratov, was often harassed or persecuted by the authorities during the final years of the Akayev regime. COMMENT -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Similar to the print media, television broadcasts in Kyrgyzstan lack independent and balanced reporting. For some, access to more than one Kyrgyz channel only means the possibility of one-sided reporting to counter that of the national TV's pro-government slant. For others, KTR is their only source of news and information on TV. Without access to the Internet or the money to buy newspapers, most of those in the rural areas turn to the radio as their only option for inexpensive, unbiased news and information. End comment. YOVANOVITCH