TVi calls on Yanukovich to stop SBU interference in the media market

In an open letter from TVi journalists to the President, they state that the television channel has come under pressure from the State Security Service [SBU]. They claim that the SBU is in this supporting the personal and corporate interests of its Head – Valery Khoroshkovsky.

“Our TV has become the object of flagrant pressure from the Security Service. The aim of this pressure is clear – monopolization of the television realm in the country by a holding which is controlled by Mr Khoroshkovsky’s wife, and which effectively belongs to him personally”, the letter reads.

The reason for the open letter was a request from the SBU to the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council demanding documents about the competition for television frequencies from 27 January and also a letter from the SBU to the regulating body asking that the satellite platform “Poverkhnost Sport TV”, which specifically drew the regulators’ attention to the transmission of TVi.

The journalists call on the President to stop the interference of SBU in the work of the media market, as well as in the work of the independent regulatory body – the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council.

The letter is signed by journalists from the channel (17 signatures).

On 9 April 2010 the Press Secretary to the Head of the SBU Marina Ostapenko asserted that the conflict between TVi and SBU was a misunderstanding.

She acknowledged that the SBU had indeed approached the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council. Asking that the activity of the Poverkhnost company be checked to see if it complied with legislation when broadcasting.

She claimed that TVi had ended up on a list of many foreign satellite channels through a technical mistake, that the real target had been TVCI. She said that the SBU had sent a letter of explanation to the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council.  (http://telekritika.ua/news/2010-04-09/52208)