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NEWS ON
VGTRK
I. VGTRK and
Novosibirsk TV sign agreement.
An agreement on the
Novosibirsk city television and radio broadcasting
company [Siberia] joining the single production and
technological complex [VGTRK] was signed in Novosibirsk
[on 10th February]. Our correspondent has the
details.
[Correspondent]
The
chairman of the All-Russian State Television and Radio
Broadcasting Company, Mikhail Shvydkoy, and Vitaliy
Mukha, the head of the administration of Novosibirsk
Region, have agreed that the interests of the state are
above everything else as far as the state television
company and the regional authorities are concerned.
The setting up of a single information area is an attempt
to revive state television and radio broadcasting.
Only 8 per cent of 1,200 broadcasting companies belong to
the state now.
[Shvydkoy]
The
state and its taxpayers have the right to have television
and radio broadcasting which is free from the interests
of various financial or industrial groups. We have
drawn up an anticrisis programme for developing state
television broadcasting in Russia. It will cover
two years, 1999 and 2000. It is being currently
examined and analysed in the government.
Russia TV, Moscow,
February 10, 1999
II.
Krasnoyarsk governor, VGTRK settle TV dispute.
A line was drawn
[on 9th February] under the dispute which arose recently
between [Krasnoyarsk Territory] governor [Aleksandr]
Lebed and the head of the All-Russia State Television and
Radio Company, [Mikhail] Shvydkoy. The conflict
started after Lebed decided to change the head of local
television without agreeing it with Moscow.
An agreement was
signed in Krasnoyarsk [on 9th] on Krasnoyarsk state
television. . . . It noted in particular that [top]
personnel changes [at the regional TV company] are
subject to joint decisions. . . .
[Correspondent]
The
chairman of the All-Russia State Television and Radio
Company, Mikhail Shvydkoy, presented the governor of
Krasnoyarsk, Aleksandr Lebed, with a collection of
Russian songs from Krasnoyarsk Territory from his
personal library. Aleksandr Lebed decided on the
spot to republish it, since the book was printed a long
time ago. This demonstrated a will to find
agreement.
At the same time
all the conflicts which had arisen around Krasnoyarsk
Television and Radio Company were connected with
determining who owns it and who is the chairman of the
company. Lebed and Shvydkoy [on 9th] emphasized
that all that had happened was unnecessary confusion
resulting from a misunderstanding. At the same time
the talks were difficult, nerve-wrecking at times, but
overall constructive. The long-awaited agreement
was signed as a result.
[Lebed]
We
proceeded from one thing: authority in Russia is
either strong or non-existent. If it is strong,
Russia will exist and be strong. This agreement is
a reinforcement of authority in Russia.
[Correspondent]
The
Krasnoyarsk administration agreed that the television
company is a subsidiary of the All-Russian State
Television and Radio Company. In his turn, Shvydkoy
conceded that Krasnoyarsk Territory has a stake in the
regional company.
Russia TV, Moscow,
February 9, 1999
III. Four
new VGTRK subsidiary companies set up.
Nikolay
Bordyuzha, head of the Russian president’s
administration and secretary of the Security Council, has
had a meeting with Mikhail Shvydkoy, chairman of VGTRK
[the All-Russian Television and Radio Company].
The conversation
focused on the reorganization of the television and radio
company. Specifically, four new subsidiary
companies have been set up within the framework of the
unified VGTRK production and technical complex. The
Russia and Kultura (Culture) TV channels, Radio Russia
and the Vesti news programme are to become independent
unitary state enterprises. Lev Koshlyakov has been
appointed the new deputy chairman of VGTRK. He used
to be senior adviser to the company chairman. He
will head Vesti with the rank of managing director.
The results of
the Kultura channel’s operations will be summed up
on [29th December] at a meeting of the Culture and Art
Council under the Russian president.
Radio Russia, Moscow,
December 29, 1998
IV.
Difficulties of VGTRK centralization.
VGTRK [All-Russia
State Television and Radio Company] Chairman Mikhail
Shvydkoy talked to ‘Segodnya’ correspondent
Aleksandr Boreyko.
[Shvydkoy]
Unlike
NTV [commercial channel] or ORT [Russian Public TV],
VGTRK includes more than just the Kultura [Culture]
channel, the Russia channel and Radio Rossii. It
includes around 90 communications enterprises (regional
television transmitter centres). We maintain
several technical centres in Moscow alone: on
Yamskoye Pole, on Shabolovka, and the building for the
RTR-Signal [Russian Radio and Television] joint-stock
company, which was supposed to deal with new technologies
in the TV sphere, has not been completed. . . .
State television
used to be set the task of reaching every Soviet
person. And we have inherited 20,000 km of radio
relay lines. We cannot abandon them, but no
sensible person would invest in this. Everything
must be modernized, and then perhaps investment will come
in . . . .
One of the main
problems is to translate the company’s present
situation into a comprehensible, economically transparent
situation and to clear the accumulated debts. We
want to centralize all the taxes. We will pay
federal taxes centrally in Moscow for the whole complex.
. . .
I think there
will be integrated funding as of 1st January. But
it is important to create a really effective economic
system. We want to create a common bank of TV
products, which will make the existence of regional
companies far cheaper.
Regions stalling process of centralization
[Boreyko]
The
Ministry of State Property and local registration offices
have found that the present procedure for forming the
holding company is not in line with legislation.
[Shvydkoy]
We have reached
agreement with the Ministry of State Property about
everything, and they realize that all this is legal. . .
. The problem lies in a certain
“regionalism” on the part of local leaders and
political elites. They are afraid of losing control
over television. . . . The power of the regional
elites is enormous today. The imbalance among the
authorities is turning into a war between channels, both
radio and TV. . . .
Sometimes
everything hinges on property. The regional
authorities have provided money to construct or equip a
complex. And they want to retain this property for
one simple reason—“if you go bankrupt we will
lose our share.” All these things are
regulated. And I see no particular problem
here. As of 4th December, 26 [regional] companies
(VRGTRK) had already been registered. In some cases
there has been a refusal from regional registration
offices—the governors are creating a delay.
‘Segodnya,’
Moscow, December 17, 1998
V. VGTRK
slams supervisory councils.
VGTRK First
Deputy Chairman Mikhail Lesin has criticized Communists
over their attempts to reimpose parliament’s control
on the channel and its editorial policy. In an
interview with the Russian newspaper
‘Kommersant’ on 5th December, Lesin accused the
Duma of trying to seize influence over broadcasting ahead
of the parliamentary and presidential elections in
1999-2000. He denied he had been involved in the
embezzlement of 182m dollars at VGTRK (All-Russian State
Television and Radio Broadcasting Company) and dismissed
as illegal the plan of the Communist-dominated Duma to
use supervisory councils for denouncing journalists who
are not to their taste. The following are excerpts
from the ‘Kommersant’ report; subheadings added
editorially:
Would you watch a
channel which does not screen entertainment programmes or
films but only public and political broadcasts and live
broadcasts of Duma, government and Federation Council
sessions? VGTRK [All-Russian State Television and
Radio Broadcasting Company] may become just such a
channel. Everything depends on a decision to be
taken by [Prime Minister] Yevgeniy Primakov and the
Duma. VGTRK First Deputy Chairman Mikhail Lesin
tells Viktoriya Arutyunova why this may happen.
[Arutyunova]
When the
VGTRK chairman was summoned to the Duma last time, was
this to discuss financial irregularities at the company?
Incidents of embezzlement at VGTRK
[Lesin]
A great
many reports and documents exist on the embezzlement of
treasury and advertising money at VGTRK. I have
seen one report which, it is rumoured, has been passed on
to the government chairman. It states that I have
stolen in the region of 182m dollars. The report is
unsigned and I do not know who prepared it.
[Q]
Have you
already been questioned in connection with this report?
[A]
It is
completely unacceptable to ask questions here. We
“have an opinion.” My approach is very
simple: If you have other specialists whom you
trust—appoint them. We have received a
directive from the government—to set up a
supervisory council at VGTRK in the prescribed
manner. That is a nice phrase—“in the
prescribed manner.” Show me this procedure!
Deputies write: We consider it essential to
strengthen management at ORT [Russian Public Television]
and VGTRK. In what way? Financially, by
sending in the commissars? “We do not like
this presenter.” Well, we do not like this
deputy. And?
VGTRK’s legal impasse
[Q]
What is
VGTRK’s financial status?
[A]
The 1998
budget provided finance for five hours of broadcasting a
day at RTR [Russian Television and Radio], for five hours
at Radio Rossii [Russia’s Radio] and 4.8 hours at
the Kultura [Culture] TV channel.
The company has
got into a difficult legal position. The VGTRK
budget states that the company is a state unitary
enterprise which has been established to make a
profit. It is, of course, strange that the budget
finances a commercial albeit state-owned
enterprise. I think several deputies will raise
this problem during the debate of the 1999 budget.
But how can we
get out of this legislative impasse? The state
might only pay us for the programmes it orders: In
other words, we pay you for making news broadcasts.
But if you want to make an entertainment programme, pay
for it yourselves.
[Q]
But all
the disputes about VGTRK are connected specifically with
the Duma’s idea that RTR should only be a public and
political channel.
[A]
The
situation is the opposite of what it used to be:
When the Communists were in power, we would say behind
the scenes that this or that programme cannot be
screened. But when the reformers came to power, the
Communists began to say that this or that programme
cannot be screened. . . .
Communist plans for supervisory councils
criticized
[Q]
What
success has the VGTRK supervisory council had?
[A]
The
latest subject discussed by the council was whether the
supervisory council will have the right to summon any
journalist and denounce him for immoral behaviour on the
air. My standpoint is that this is illegal.
Journalists cannot be held responsible in this way.
At which point Communist Party of the Russian Federation
Deputy Ivanov asked the question: Why then is a
supervisory council needed at all? That is, all
problems are still at the level of gaining influence.
I am not against
the supervisory council. But it should perform a
supervisory function. . . . The state is for some
reason not attempting to set up a supervisory council at
[private newspaper] ‘Segodnya’. It is all
a question of influence. But if the Communists want
to have influence they should set up their own mass media
organ, put money into it and then influence people.
Seizure of VGTRK assets feared
[Q]
Is it
possible that property will begin to be seized at VGTRK,
as is currently happening at ORT?
[A]
What is
happening at ORT is what has already happened once at
VGTRK: The first property seizure occurred at VGTRK
one and a half years ago. It also started with the
seizure of vehicles. Our debt liabilities are
actually a little higher than ORT’s. These are
mainly unpaid taxes. And many penalties were added
for 1996. If these problems are tackled in a crude
manner, it is very easy to destroy everything. The
treasury, for example, owes us money for 1997 but this
debt to VGTRK has for some reason been “written
off.” But VGTRK’ s debt to the treasury
has not.
‘Kommersant,’
Moscow, December 5, 1998
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