TURKMENISTAN: SERIOUS ABOUT CHANGE IN NEWS MEDIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000063 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, EUR/ACE, DRL, ECA, IIP AID/W FOR EE/AA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM EAID SCUL KDEM KPAO TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: SERIOUS ABOUT CHANGE IN NEWS MEDIA REFS: A) 07 ASHGABAT 1223, B) 07 ASHGABAT 1326 ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: During a January 10 meeting with a Public Affairs Section (PAS) assistant, a Ministry of Culture official expressed a desire for greater reform of state news media and increased support for more exchanges with the United States. He expected PAS's planned English-language-teaching TV program will receive full government approval and become a success. END SUMMARY. WHAT STARTED AS A "ROUTINE" MEETING... ¶2. (SBU) A Senior PAS FSN met with Ministry of Culture and Broadcasting's International Department Head Agadurdy Akmuradov on January 10 to discuss programs being developed. He gave her useful feedback and information to help develop the Speaker program for training state TV journalists (reftel A). Akmuradov wanted to be sure that the visiting speaker could focus on practical skills and could help them film and edit actual news segments. ... GREW INTO GREATER ADMISSION OF PROBLEMS ¶3. (SBU) Soon, the discussion went beyond simple program planning, as Akmuradov described the problems, limitations, and lack of creativity of Turkmen journalists which he blamed on prior policies, both Soviet and post-Soviet. He placed a good degree of blame, however, on the cult-of-personality experience of journalists in recent years which greatly reduced their capacity to do anything other than provide flowery images and prose about the president. A NEED FOR MORE HELP ¶4. (SBU) Akmuradov, the one PAS contact who even during the Niyazov period would try to find some way to make things happen, said Turkmen journalists needed assistance in the following areas: -- developing advertising revenue to sustain media outlets; -- use of editing software and equipment; -- live broadcasting or news reporting; -- a needs assessment of their equipment and facilities -- similar expertise for print and radio, in addition to the planned program for TV journalists; and -- help with managing multiple language broadcasts. (NOTE: the "Turkmenistan Channel" simultaneously broadcasts in seven languages. END NOTE.) Akmuradov also emphasized his interest in gaining U.S. expertise, in particular. He noted that for issues such as advertising, they want to learn from the experience of Americans since U.S. news media have always been supported by advertising revenue. APPRECIATION FOR WHAT THE U.S. HAS ALREADY DONE ¶5. (SBU) Akmuradov was thankful for U.S. cultural programs during the past year. In particular, he enjoyed the CD produced by the Embassy as a result of the summer jazz program and listens to it often at home (reftel B). He offered suggestions on how some of our other speakers programs could be enhanced. (NOTE: A rare form of frank feedback, in itself. END NOTE.) He expected PAS's planned English-language-teaching TV program will receive full government approval and become a success. INVITATIONS FOR MORE U.S. PARTICPATION AT EVENTS ¶6. (SBU) He passed a list of upcoming international conferences and festivals which the Ministry of Culture will organize and asked the Embassy to help bring "multiple" representatives to participate in each. (NOTE: Ministry of Culture has frequently paid for the travel and expenses of international visitors for such events. END NOTE.) ¶7. (SBU) COMMENT: The Embassy believes that this is some of the strongest evidence yet that reform intentions will be followed with ASHGABAT 00000063 002 OF 002 appropriate action, at least at the Ministry of Culture and Broadcasting. In addition, the continued growth of interest in cooperating with the United States is testament to the success of recent Public Diplomacy programming. ¶8. (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED: The Ministry of Culture has always had a cooperative relationship with the Embassy, which PAS believes is in large measure thanks to Akmuradov. PAS also suspects that Akmuradov was much more frank in his description of journalistic problems because he was meeting with a trusted local-citizen FSN. While he is friendly and honest with Americans, he tends to be a bit more guarded about his comments. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND