US embassy cable - 04YEREVAN2324

UNCLAS YEREVAN 002324 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CACEN, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, AM 
SUBJECT:  LOCAL STATION DROPS RFE/RL NEWS SHOW 
 
(U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (SBU) An independent TV news broadcast produced by 
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was cancelled on 
October 13 after airing a single episode.  The director 
of the station denied government pressure.  We believe, 
however, that this incident was an act of self- 
censorship to avoid conflict with the government, which 
keeps a tight rein on broadcast media.  End Summary 
 
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RFE/RL'S SHORT RUN 
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2. (SBU) On October 10 and 11, Kentron television aired 
the only episode of a news program it produced in 
cooperation with RFE/RL.  According to executives at 
Kentron and other media accounts, the public received 
the show favorably, but on October 13, Kentron dropped 
it from the schedule.  Local opposition media and the 
RFE/RL service director in Prague speculated publicly 
that the government had forced Kentron to drop its 
cooperation with RFE/RL.  Kentron director Petros 
Ghazarian, however, told us that no one representing 
the GOAM had contacted Kentron about the program. 
 
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OVERSHADOWED 
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3. (SBU) Kentron is often regarded as the "opposition" 
television station because of its managerial 
association with several opposition newspapers, and 
also because the station produces some of the more 
balanced television news in Yerevan.  It lives in the 
shadow of A1-plus, an opposition television station 
that went off the air in 2002.  (Note:  Human rights 
groups believe A1-plus lost its license largely because 
of its support of the opposition.  End Note.)  Kentron 
began broadcasting on the same frequency shortly after 
the closure of A1-plus.  In the past, Kentron has held 
back its on-air personalities, sometimes replacing 
reporters who became "too political," effectively 
censoring themselves. 
 
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COMMENT:  THINGS THAT GET BUMPED IN THE NIGHT 
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4. (SBU) Whether or not it is justified, Kentron 
station management believes that the GOAM got rid of A1- 
plus, and Kentron is willing to self-censor in an 
effort to stay on the air.  One viewer of the RFE/RL 
program praised the station for the show but asked, 
"will they [the authorities] let you go on?"  We will 
never know because Kentron television executives pulled 
the plug themselves. 
GODFREY