Television Is Filled With Interesting People

Michael Hedges July 29, 2019 Follow on Twitter

Television still has everyone’s attention. Around the world, people are totally engrossed in whatever TV has to offer. Some tell social scientists that watching television is the happiest time of their day. The advertising people know this. Others are learning.

After TV producer/actor Volodymyr Zelensky’s election as president of Ukraine this past spring, the country’s television sector, without surprise, undertook a quite rapid metamorphosis. Rather than some beautiful butterfly, think more of Kafka. Political operatives, suddenly on the back foot, are capturing TV channels to renew their fight.

Politician Taras Kozak bought news channel Zik TV in June, adding to his media house Novosti Holdings that includes television channels 112 Ukraine and NewsOne. Mr. Kozak is aligned with the Opposition Block political grouping, which promotes closer ties with the Russian Federation. Ukraine watchers view him as a stalking-horse for Viktor Medvedchuk, “the undisputed leader of Russia’s fifth column in Ukraine,” said Kiev Post (December 30, 2013).

Zik TV employees exited on the transfer, including general director Ihor Turkevych, production chief Olha Movchan, editor-in-chief Tetiana Verheles and news editor Roman Nedzelsky. There were other staff departures, numbering more than 400, reported media portal Telekritika (July 25), many replaced by NewsOne staff. “The reasons, I think, are clear,” said Mr. Turkevych, quoted by Interfax-Ukraine (June 17).

NewsOne, acquired by Mr. Kozak last December, ran into difficulties after announcing a joint television event with Russian state TV channel Russia-1 and its notorious “propagandist” talk-show host Dmitry Kiselyov, reported news agency UNIAN (July 8). There were protests. NewsOne cancelled the talk-show. Separately, Ukraine Prosecutor General opened a criminal investigation into certain ownership conflicts with NewsOne and a Russian bank “involved in an aggressive war against Ukraine,” quoted by Kiev Post (July 9).

TV channel Inter became subject of related speculation. Inter is, or was, principally owned by billionaire Dmytro Firtash, also aligned with the pro-Russian Opposition Block. UNIAN reported (June 30) that the aforementioned Mr. Medvedchuk acquired the 80% stake in the TV channel. This came a few days after the Austrian Supreme Court allowed that Mr. Firtash could be extradited to face long-standing charges in the United States for “bribery and forming an organized crime group,” said RFE/RL (June 25). Mr. Medvedchuk denied “acquisition of the channel or a share in it, nor any plans for such a deal.” The TV rumour mill being what it is, Mr. Medvedchuk may have acquired Channel 5 from former president Petro Poroshenko.

President Zelensky achieved household name status in Ukraine for the television series “Servant of the People,” in which he played a good-guy president. His political party, formed just for the election, takes the same name. The TV series was shown on TV channel 1+1, operated by 1+1 Media Group, principally owned by billionaire Ihor Komoloyskyi. 1+1 is the most widely watched TV channel in Ukraine. Mr. Komoloyskyi is also politically active, though not sharing good feelings toward the Russian Federation, largely due to expatriation of his mining assets in Crimea. Mr. Komoloyskyi denies supporting Mr. Zelensky.

Ukraine’s public broadcaster UA:PBC is holding on by a thread. In January general director Zurab Alasania was fired by the politically appointed board. That was ruled illegal by a court decision in June. UA:PBC had broadcast an investigation into the financial affairs of then-president Poroshenko.

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