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The Broadcasting Council (BC) suspended the broadcasting license of TV Balti (BTV) for a two-month period at a meeting held on 14 June. The application was submitted by the management of the TV channel, who requested to interrupt the broadcasting for a six-month period.
Channel manager Rodica Deleu mentioned for Media-azi.md that the temporary suspension of the activity had been decided by BTV founders. Currently, BTV has five founders and the greatest share of the channel of 99.65 is owned by Maria Rararcean.
Deleu mentioned that they took this decision at the beginning of May. ‘I’m sorry, but that’s the situation. We tried to get financial support, but it was postponed and we do not know how long it will take’, Deleu said.
The channel manager added that some of the editorial staff had already filed requests for resignation.
According to Lia Gutu, the BC Press Officer, the TV channel stated that the request was due to the lack of funds for maintenance.
Gutu mentioned that the broadcasting regulator set a suspension period of only two months and not six, as requested, as this is the maximum period allowed by the legislation in force.
Lia Guţu added that the BC members had also considered amending the BC Regulation on the terms, criteria and procedure for granting, extending, changing, suspending and revoking broadcasting licenses and re-broadcasting licenses.
Rodica Deleu mentioned that the channel had been in operation since 1992. Subsequently, the channel became a municipal enterprise, and once the law on media privatization entered into force, it came into the possession of certain persons closed to the Party of Communists with Andrei Ciornii as the main shareholder.
According to SP Balti, Andrei Ciornii had controlled the company’s assets, including through his relatives until 2015, when ‘Partidul Nostru’ (‘Our Party’) led by Renato Usatii, came to power in Balti. During this period, Maria Rarance became the owner of the largest share of TV Balti, currently the main founder of the channel.
