Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BISHKEK1763
2006-12-14 13:42:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Bishkek
Cable title:  

KYRGYZ STATE TV: LURING THE DINOSAUR TOWARD

Tags:  PGOV PINR PREL SCUL KPAO KG 
pdf how-to read a cable
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 001763 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, R, PA AND INR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL SCUL KPAO KG
SUBJECT: KYRGYZ STATE TV: LURING THE DINOSAUR TOWARD
REFORMS

REF: A. BISHKEK 1737

B. BISHKEK 1742

C. BISHKEK 1752

BISHKEK 00001763 001.2 OF 002


Sensitive but unclassified. Not for Internet distribution.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 001763

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, R, PA AND INR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL SCUL KPAO KG
SUBJECT: KYRGYZ STATE TV: LURING THE DINOSAUR TOWARD
REFORMS

REF: A. BISHKEK 1737

B. BISHKEK 1742

C. BISHKEK 1752

BISHKEK 00001763 001.2 OF 002


Sensitive but unclassified. Not for Internet distribution.


1. (U) This is the fourth in a series of cables on the state
of the media in Kyrgyzstan, with the final cable offering an
overall analysis to follow.


2. (SBU) SUMMARY: With access to the nearly every household
in Kyrgyzstan, the State Television and Radio Company (KTR)
is by far the dominant mass media outlet in the country, and
it is the only television or radio outlet with national
reach. Because of its wide coverage and influence, control
of KTR has long been a contentious political issue, with
critics complaining about KTR's pro-government editorial
line. When he ran for president in July 2005, President
Bakiyev promised he would transform the state TV and radio
conglomerate into a public entity with an independent board.
In October 2006, Bakiyev vetoed a bill that would have
created such a board. Transforming KTR into "public
television" was a key opposition demand during the
anti-government demonstration in Bishkek in early November.
Later in the month, Bakiyev signed a decree that established
a supervisory board for KTR, but most of its members would be
controlled by the Presidential Administration and the KTR
director would continue to report to the president -- a move
that satisfied none of the critics. KTR remains a bloated
bureaucracy, and its management has shown no interest in
reform. Nor is there any indication that the government is
interested in reforming its voice and cash-cow. The demands
for reform of KTR and creation of public television will
continue. END SUMMARY.

MAMMOTH IN BOTH SIZE AND REACH
--------------


3. (SBU) Accurately dubbed the "dinosaur" of the Kyrgyz media
due to its age and sheer size, the State Television and Radio
Company (also known as KTR, GTRK and NTRK) is the successor
to the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic Television Company
established in 1958. Even after independence in 1991,
control of the company has remained in the hands of the

Presidential Administration, and little change has taken
place since then. The head of KTR, along with his senior
staff, are appointed directly by the president. KTR employs
an army of over 450 journalists for TV programs and another
270 for radio.


4. (SBU) KTR is the only television network with nationwide
reach; no other station comes close to matching its
viewership. KTR's primetime news segment, shown each evening
in Kyrgyz and Russian, currently claims to be the
most-watched locally produced news program in the country.
The main KTR channel airs locally produced programs, with the
exception of a daily, one-hour Chinese show dubbed in Kyrgyz.
Additionally, KTR rebroadcasts programming from Russia's ORT
and RTR on the state TV's second and third channels through
an undisclosed agreement some maintain is illegal. These
state-run agencies out of Moscow provide the Putin
administration with a direct line to the Kyrgyz population.
Founded in 1995 as a subsidiary of KTR, Zamana Studio
produces a three hour morning show in both Kyrgyz and Russian
languages. The government, through the KTR director,
determines the editorial policy of all Zamana programs.

A POWERFUL WEAPON IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ARSENAL
--------------


5. (SBU) When President Bakiyev took office after the March
2005 "Tulip Revolution" and when he stood for election in

BISHKEK 00001763 002.2 OF 002


July 2005, one of his promises was to transform the State
Television and Radio Company into a public entity. This
meant that KTR was to be operated by independent management,
without influence of the president or other government
officials. Opposition parties, citing abuses during the
Akayev era, argued that the transformation would reduce the
influential powers of the government by eliminating the
one-sided campaigns against certain members of parliament.


6. (SBU) USAID-funded Internews-Kyrgyzstan assisted in
drafting a bill that would transform the aging company into a
publicly controlled entity. While the bill was passed by
parliament, President Bakiyev vetoed it in October 2006 and
signed his own version the following month that created a
supervisory board, as Internews had suggested, but without
relinquishing control over most of the board members and the
director of KTR. In the signed decree, the board is able to
set editorial principles, oversee the company finances, set
agendas for public hearings, request investigations into
financial mishandlings, and investigate complaints against
the company. The board will consist of five members
appointed by the president, five by the parliament and an
additional five staff of KTR, giving the President a de facto
2/3 majority. Under the new decree, the state TV director
must follow the guidance of the board while continuing to
answer directly to the president.

KTR RADIO: MAJOR COVERAGE BUT MINOR IMPACT
--------------


7. (SBU) Although touting similar coverage as its television
counterpart, KTR Radio attracts a mere fraction of the total
amount of listeners in the Kyrgyz Republic. In contrast to
KTR TV, the radio station faces stiff competition in the
rural areas, with the majority of listeners tuning in to
Azattyk Radio (RFE/RL). KTR Radio news programs are also
known to be pro-government, although not nearly as slanted as
KTR TV.

COMMENT
--------------


8. (SBU) All sides in the political debate have a stake in
the future of KTR. During the November demonstrations, KTR
only showed the pro-Bakiyev demonstration and heaped
criticism on the anti-Bakiyev demonstration. Except for Chui
Oblast, the entire country received only pro-presidential
views during a critical time in Kyrgyzstan. KTR is a
powerful tool, and this is reason enough for the presidential
administration to oppose calls to relinquish control over the
media giant. Bakiyev agreed to a supervisory board that
allots two-thirds control to his administration, if State TV
staff members must answer to their director. The end result
is a puppet board, with the president firmly holding all of
the strings. This will continue to be a tense issue with the
opposition and civil society, and a symbol of the extent, or
limits, of independent media in Kyrgyzstan.
YOVANOVITCH