KYRGYZ STATE TV CHANGES DIRECTORS, BUT NOT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 001400 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/28/2017 TAGS: PGOV KPAO KG SUBJECT: KYRGYZ STATE TV CHANGES DIRECTORS, BUT NOT DIRECTION BISHKEK 00001400 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: CDA Lee Litzenberger, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary. Promised reforms of the Kyrgyz State Television and Radio Corporation (KTR) have ground to a halt in advance of the December 16 parliamentary elections. Acting General Director Melis Eshimkanov said that his primary problems were dealing with bloated staffing, but acknowledged that he was under pressure to ensure that news reports toed the (government) party line. With the official campaign period open, political parties have complained that KTR is up to its "old tricks," reserving prime advertising slots for the pro-presidential Ak Jol party. Although Eshimkanov speaks as a champion of reform, it is likely he was appointed to assure the best possible coverage for Ak Jol during the campaign. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Promised reforms of the Kyrgyz State Television and Radio Corporation (KTR) have ground to a halt in advance of the December 16 parliamentary elections. While the promised independent board of directors was appointed in mid-2007, almost half the board resigned in late October, eliminating a quorum, when it appeared possible that an independent candidate would be elected new general director. The Kyrgyz White House seized the opportunity, and days later appointed former Member of Parliament Melis Eshimkanov as Acting General Director. Following the historical trend of prior KTR Directors, Eshimkanov had previously been the head of an independent newspaper (the formerly pro-opposition Kyrgyz language Agym),but he had left the ranks of opposition when offered the ambassadorship to Switzerland last summer (he eventually declined the offer but has become a supporter of the President). ¶3. (C) In a November 23 meeting with PAO, Eshimkanov spoke openly about the challenges he faced. Unlike the highly scripted meetings we have had with former KTR directors, Eshimkanov discussed his plans with enthusiasm and apparent candor -) and without a staff minder taking copious notes. He acknowledged that he regularly faced pressure from the White House to ensure that news reports toed the party line. But he also said that he has told President Bakiyev not to make the "mistake of Akayev" and use KTR to bludgeon the opposition and exert so much control over the news that viewers feel disenfranchised. Eshimkanov said he would be aggressive in protecting the few independent commentary programs on the channel, and said he was interested in looking for more new types of political programming, possibly even a segment focused on the United States. ¶4. (SBU) Eshimkanov claimed that his primary troubles were not political pressures, but management issues related to the monsterous, creaky state organization he now presides over. He described many of the 1,500 staff as people with no particular role other than collecting their salaries. With a wry smile, Eshimkanov described how several oblast governors have already called for him to be fired because he replaced regional reporters with better trained reporters from Bishkek. Eshimkanov also discussed his attempts to improve the quality of equipment at KTR. ¶5. (SBU) While Eshimkanov preferred to focus on management issus, observers and political parties complain that KTR is up to its old tricks now that the parliamentary election campaign has opened, stacking the deck against opposition parties. Pro-presidential party Ak Jol receives prime time slots for its advertisements, while most other parties are relegated to less-popular times. Video editors have complained that KTR refused to show advertisements for opposition parties without making onerous changes not required of the pro-government parties. Evening news programs on KTR focus almost exclusively on the president and his party. BISHKEK 00001400 002.4 OF 002 ¶6. (C) Comment: KTR remains a vital tool and money-maker (from advertisements) for the government, and it will approach any changes to the structure of the organization and the content of its reporting with caution. Eshimkanov openly mused if he would last until the new year before being fired. He said that Bakiyev had offered him the position of State Secretary twice, but that he had declined, preferring to try SIPDIS his hand at making KTR work like a professional television station. Unfortunately, even though Eshimkanov speaks like a champion of reform, it is also likely that Bakiyev put him in place to ensure that the best possible media coverage for the pro-presidential Ak Jol party. LITZENBERGER