The STB Television Company has announced it received a notice late last
month from Valentyn Kolomiyets, chief of the Kyiv City and Oblast State
Telecommunications Inspection, demanding it "immediately discontinue the
illegal use of the ground-based satellite communication station in 24 hours."
It will be recalled that STB is one of Ukraine's few broadcast outlets
that have mastered the state-of-the-art technology of sound transmission
via satellite rather than relay. So to discontinue the use of STB's own
antenna would mean stopping the work of the whole company in its tracks.
To clarify the situation, our correspondent turned to former STB chairman
and current member of the National Television and Radio Council, Mykola
Kniazhytsky, who also hosts STB's "Vikna-tyzhnevyk" (Windows Weekly) program.
"When the situation was being analyzed," says Mr. Kniazhytsky, "it turned
out that STB has a Ministry of Communications license to transmit TV signals
by means of satellite antennas, as well as a council license to the same
effect. Besides, we also secured, just in case, permission from the Ukrainian
Frequency Supervision Service, although this is not mandated by law. What
really came to an end is the latter. But when STB applied for renewal of
this permission, we were denied it and asked to stop broadcasting.
From the standpoint of law, this permission is not required. Besides,
it is nonsense: as a rule, a Ministry of Communications facility cannot
possibly close down another facility licensed by the same ministry. It
is not within its competence nor jurisdiction."
"What do you think it is connected with?"
"It is interesting that the date of the letter and the date of signing
the broadcasting contract between STB and Verkhovna Rada coincided for
some reason. Perhaps somebody is trying to block coverage of legislative
sessions. It is also symptomatic that this happened two days before the
mayoral elections in Kyiv: as we know, STB took an active part in the latter,
furnishing equal screen time to all the main candidates, and not to one,
as did most other channels. So, insofar as the injunction is unlawful,
STB continues to broadcast via satellite.
"This story went on. Ukrainian Frequency Supervision (UFS) representatives
visited STB, demanding compliance with the notice and discontinuance of
broadcasting via the satellite antenna. On being turned down, they said
they would bring in the police and shut down the company. However, an organization
can only be shut down by decision of a court of law, let alone the fact
that this is outside of UFS competence."
The Day's correspondent also contacted Chief of the Kyiv State
Telecommunications Inspection Valentyn Kolomiyets, who said:
"The license granted to STB by the Ministry of Communications allows
the use only one satellite system, INTELSAT, but in fact the company uses
a different system, AMOS, with an entirely different angle signal emission.
What we see is willful noncompliance with licensing conditions. Besides,
there is an ammendment to the law on entrepreneurial activities with a
specific clause on frequency licensing. In other words, if you are a broadcaster,
you must also have a national council license, as well as one from UFS.
The latter lays down conditions for the use of frequencies, which were
violated."
"I am sorry, but why were these violations found just in time, when
STB and Parliament were signing a contract on televised coverage of sessions?"
"They did have permission, although with violations. It expired more
than a month ago. An inspection revealed circumstances of license violations,
which resulted in serving a notice demanding discontinuance of broadcasts.
I am an STB viewer myself. If it puts all documents in order, it will get
permission. But so far, by law it should keep silent."
How gratifying that this country has so many convenient laws by which
those who have suddenly become disgraced should keep silent! It is also
easy to find those who will trample upon these laws at the necessary moment.
Commenting on the STB issue, People's Deputy Volodymyr Filenko (Reform-Center
faction) noted, "The refusal to renew the license is politically motivated.
In today's Ukrainian television theater of operations only STB gives more
or less objective, balanced, and responsible information, and allows itself
to show not only the incumbent President but other candidates as well.
The rest of the national channels in Ukraine's information field of Ukraine
- UT-1, UT-2, Inter, ICTV, and the recently-bought-out Ukrayina - work
for the President of Ukraine." Mr. Filenko thinks that the recent government
injunction on licensing satellite broadcasting was only a loophole to close
STB. The People's Deputy does not rule out that the real cause might be
the deal between the legislative leadership and STB about TV coverage of
parliamentary sessions, which "frightens the President's team tremendously."
The Permanent Presidential Representative in Verkhovna Rada, Roman Bezsmertny,
called the STB issue "a dubious benefit," and "an absolutely wrong step."
On June 8, acting STB President Dmytro Prykordonny (center) said during
a press conference at UNIAN that the danger STB closure still remains.
Channel executives consider that what is going on is a political provocation,
and they have already sent a letter to Verkhovna Rada, the President of
Ukraine, and international non-governmental organizations requesting them
to protect their right to carry out their professional duties.
At the same time, head of the Society Center Yaroslav Khobta reported
that a megaproject with respect to the 1999 presidential elections is in
the works. It will be a series of programs on various stages of the presidential
race. Center founders see STB as the main channel to air these programs.
According to Mr. Khobta, a number of international organizations have already
agreed to fund this project. It is interesting if Ukraine will have again
to explain to the West the peculiarities of its pre-election period including
the closure of TV channels that have the courage to take even a step deviating
from the official line of the executive authorities.
By Anatoly LEMYSH, The Day







