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The BC member Lidia Viziru confirmed for Media-azi.md that Telesistem SRL, holding Accent TV, requested on 24 July 2019, by a letter, for the BC to review the conditions of the broadcasting license it holds by changing the name from Accent TV to ‘Primul Canal Moldova’ and approve the new structure of the audiovisual media service.
According to Lidia Viziru, after the request was looked into, the BC informed Accent TV on 31 July 2019, that additional documents were required for that. ‘We meant the agreement on re-broadcasting, purchasing and taking over the programs produced by the media service provider that is not under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Moldova, concluded between AO ‘Pervi Kanal Vsemirnaia Seti’ and Telesistem SRL. Also, the document confirming the right to use the logo of the AO ‘Pervi Kanal Vsemirnaia Seti’, must be submitted, as well as the document confirming the use of the name and the identification elements of ‘Pervi Kanal Moldova’ audio-visual media service, i.e. the logo’, said the BC member.
Lidia Viziru mentioned that the Council has the right to request additional information in such cases and that it will make a decision after Accent TV fulfills these requirements.
Note that Accent TV was not subject to monitoring by the ‘BC’ in the last report, although earlier this broadcaster used to be often on the list of channels monitored by the Council, which was also mentioned by some members of this authority regulating the broadcasting field.
Asked by Media-azi.md, Accent TV administrator – Stanislav Vijga answered the phone, but did not want to comment on the information because he was abroad.
Media-azi.md tried to find out more from the press service of AO ‘Pervi Kanal Vsemirnaia Seti’, a subsidiary of ‘Pervi Kanal’, responsible for disseminating content outside the Russian Federation, but we were told that we needed to develop a request in writing to receive this type of information. We still haven’t received an answer from the press services.
‘PRIME’ representatives did not want to give us any details about what happened to the contract concluded with ‘Pervi Kanal Vsemirnaia Seti’. The assistant of the PRIME TV director, Petru Jelihovschi, told us to contact Lilian Bustiuc – ‘the person who knows more’. Bustiuc, in his turn, stated that he had no information and that he had learned about the termination of the contract from the press.
The Newsmaker portal wrote, citing its own sources, that ‘PRIME’ TV channel intended to give up the analog frequency from 1 August, but according to ‘Radiocomunicatii’ SOE, it would have changed its mind.
The media previously wrote that the State Duma in Moscow urged ‘Pervi Kanal’ to terminate its contracts with PRIME TV channel, after the adoption of the Anti-propaganda Law and the expulsion of several groups of Russian journalists at the Chisinau airport.
PRIME TV is one of the most popular TV channels in the Republic of Moldova, both according to the company’s audience and sociological surveys.
Note that Accent TV channel’s beneficiary is Vadim Ciubara, owner of Media Invest Service (Медиа Инвест Сервис OOO – 100%), about whom RISE Moldova investigation journalists wrote that he was ‘the shadow adviser’ to the President Igor Dodon.
