Armenian Broadcaster Wins Record Number of License Denials

The latest losing bid was for two FM radio frequencies in Yeravan, now the 12th attempt for a radio or television license since 2002. “Possibly a bid for the Guinness Book of Records,” said the Yeravan Press Club.

Meltex LLC, A1+ owner, strongly suggests government influence in granting broadcast licenses to companies more compliant with the wishes of current Armenian president Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister Andranik Margarian.

The National Academy of Sciences moved to evict A1+ from its leased office and studio space in March, with police ordering all to vacate before the end of the day. A certain hew and cry went up from journalists, NGO’s and other supporters led court officers to “postpone” their visit to enforce the eviction, according to the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR). Shortly thereafter PM Margarian “offered A1+ appropriate space and promised to resolve the problem,” as he told journalists.

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Launched in 1991 as a news agency supplying television reports for local and foreign channels, including TF1, ZDF and CNN, A1+ first bought airtime from Armenian State Television. After reorganizing as Meltex LLC in 1995, the company gained its own channel in 1997 and expanded with a national network of local TV stations in 1999.

The National Commission on Television and Radio (NCTR) tendered bids in early 2002 for the terrestrial frequency occupied by A1+, channel 37. A1+ lost its bid in April 2002 and was closed down the following day. Another channel, Noyan Tapam, also failed to win its bid to continue broadcasting.

Failing several legal attempts to challenge different aspects of the tender and the NCTR decision under Armenian law, A1+ turned to the Council of Europe (CoE) with assistance from human rights NGO Article 19. CoE sent investigators to Armenia in 2004, armed with a wide variety of questions on a wide variety of subjects, including the case of A1+. The investigators reported

Both A1+ and Noyan Tapan continued their complaints at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Noyan Tapan’s appeal was ruled “partially inadmissible,” essentially thrown out because the enactment of the 2000 Broadcasting Act authorized the re-licensing of all broadcast licenses. A1+ and its supporters have said that the Court investigated for two years and that a ruling was forthcoming in “early” 2006. No accessible ECHR documents indicate either an investigation or imminent ruling.

A1+ seems to be following in the footsteps of Belgrade’s B92, though with a bit less success. A1+ was described as “known for its critical stance toward the government” in a Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) press release at the time it first lost its broadcasting license. At present the company operates as a news agency and producer, website operator, publisher as well as a TV production training school.

Armenian Broadcaster Wins Record Number of License Denials

The “Never Give Up” award goes to Armenian broadcaster A1+. Four years after being tossed off the air, they keep trying. And the government keeps denying.