Head of the Georgian Public Broadcaster, Gia Chanturia, is in Paris trying to convince Europe’s leading satellite operator, Eutelsat, to continue hosting Georgia’s Russian-language First Caucasian Channel. The First Caucasian Channel was launched early this month, initially on Internet and it became available on satellite on 15 January.
For less than two weeks the channel was hosted on Eutelsat’s new W7 satellite operating at the 36 degrees East - a key location for broadcasting in Russia and other CIS states, as well as in Europe and Africa. The Georgian Public Broadcaster’s First Channel, is also available on the same location, as well as many Russian TV channels.
Eutelsat took the First Caucasian Channel off the satellite, citing the end of testing period, without yet signing a new contract with the Georgian Public Broadcaster. Le Figaro ran an article on 27 January suggesting that Russia could be behind Eutelsat’s decision to take the First Caucasian off its satellite without prolonging a contract with the Georgian Public Broadcaster. The newspaper quoted unnamed Tbilisi-based diplomat saying that Eutelsat “is under strong pressure” from Russia not to strike the contract with the Georgian Public Broadcaster. Russian officials have publicly condemned the First Caucasian Channel as Georgia’s “anti-Russian propaganda” and an attempt “to plant ideology of extremism” in North Caucasus.
Gia Chanturia told RFE/RL’s Russian-language Ekho Kavkaza on January 29, that “situation is strange.” He said that after the testing period, the contract was due to go into force from 31 January. “But suddenly problems have emerged and we are now trying to settle them,” Mr Chanturia said. He added that Eutelsat initially complained about the content of the channel, but then cited technical problems behind the suspension of the First Caucasian’s satellite broadcasting.
(Source: Civil Georgia)
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on Jan 30th, 2010 at 15:23
It was a minor Russian political pundit who speculated that there would be a lot on “anti-Russian propaganda” and “extremist ideology” due to a Georgian gov control of the channel. He said that in an interview to Russia Today TV before the channel was launched. I haven’t found any reports of Russian officials’ publicly condemning the First Caucasian Channel.
But Russian pressure on Eutelsat is plausible. That would go in parallel with recent US moves in int. satellite TV censorship.
on Jan 30th, 2010 at 21:24
Eutelsat has indeed a “technical problem”, and it concerns their W2 satellite on 16 deg. East. They had to move the Sesat bird from 36 deg. East to this position where it apparently took over all services of the defective W2. It would need a closer comparison of frequency charts to assess the situation in detail, but 36 deg. East may well suffer a shortage of capacity now, requiring W7 to substitute for Sesat.
I do not believe that bad, evil Russia is behind this development. Rather it seems that Eutelsat has a problem with their communication.