Cherkasy Journalist Fired in One Hour

The Saturday before last Cherkasy was visited by Oleksandr Moroz, presidential candidate and member of the Kaniv Four. It is quite natural that Viktor Borysov, news editor-in-chief of the local private Vikka Television Company, author of the daily informational and analytical program “Summing Up,” wanted to put on the air a live program with the distinguished guest. But since the “Summing Up” usually goes on the air on Sundays, he struck a deal with Alt, a different Cherkasy company, to make the program. Getting the go-ahead from the alien bosses, Mr. Borysov politely requested permission from his own bosses to take part in the live program. Vikka Director Andriy Zohorulkin gave the rather a condescending answer: well, do what you want; we can't forbid it.

The one-hour-long Saturday program with Mr. Moroz came off well. But the next day, Sunday, when the “Summing up” was editing a program of its own — including, incidentally, some hot footage about Mr. Moroz's visit to the oblast center and comments from the local Kaniv Four election headquarters on the coalition's latest decisions — Vikkia Director Zahorulkin told the journalist right in the studio: look, you know our policy, but you are still following a policy of your own, so we are forced to terminate our contract with you. Mr. Borysov was out within the hour. However, his “Summing Up” still went on the air on Sunday night. But instead of the usual 25-minute- long program, the viewers saw an emasculated 7-minute-long product without a single controversial item.

Light can be easily shed light on all this. The management of Vikka, second in the oblast in terms of screen time (about 70 hours a week), was changed completely a month ago. Now at the wheel are new cofounders, among them also Borys Raikov, general manager of the Cherkasy-based Azot Production Association and a Kuchma campaigner.

Mr. Borysov told The Day, “Everything is absolutely logical from the viewpoint of the current President's team. There is an unwritten rule in pro-Kuchma structures: say only good things about the current President but spare no irony or even insults with respect to other candidates. Whoever does not fit in with this pattern finds himself thrown overboard within hours.”