- Title: RUSSIA: TALKS BREAK DOWN BETWEEN NTV JOURNALISTS AND NEW MANAGEMENT.
- Date: 6th April 2001
- Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (APRIL 6, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV/MCU: MEDIA-MOST OFFICE, CROWD OF JOURNALISTS AT THE ENTRANCE (2 SHOTS) 0.16 2. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) YEVGENY KAZAKOV, HEAD OF GAZPROM DELEGATION, SAYING: "Your presence here is also an indication that people want information, want to meet. And then today, [when they say] that the collective of journalists has refused to meet with the representatives of the agreement commission, well this seems to be some sort of rubbish." 0.47 3. TRACK: MEDIA/ NTV'S NEW GENERAL DIRECTOR BORIS JORDAN BEING PURSUED BY REPORTERS 1.00 4. MCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) JORDAN SAYING: "This company is bankrupt. It is completely bankrupt. This company owes enormous amounts of money to many creditors in many different places. I was asked by the shareholders, it was the shareholders' choice--over 50% of the shareholders requested me to get involved in this situation, to help them with this company, to help it bring it[self] out of its crisis. It is the shareholders' choice, who they want as their C.E.O. of their company. [off-camera question: "But you know it is disputed that it is the shareholders' choice?"] That is for the courts to decide." 1.34 5. GV/PAN: JORDAN GETTING INTO CAR; CAR DRIVING AWAY 1.57 6. MCU: (SOUNDBITE) YEVGENY KISELYOV, NTV'S DISMISSED GENERAL DIRECTOR SAYING: "We were afraid--people of my generation--we were afraid for many, many years. But, luckily, after the collapse of the communist system we ceased to be afraid and we are not afraid any more." 2.31 7. MCU: (SOUNDBITE) MARIANA MAXIMOVSKAYA SAYING: "Where is the guarantee that they won't say to us: 'Hey you guys, we are ending this programme because it has low ratings, not because it criticises the powers that be." 2.40 8. GV: MEDIA/ PEOPLE WATCHING (2 SHOTS) 2.44 9. GV: WIDE OF STREET/ MEDIAMOST BUILDING 2.48 10. LV: MOSCOW'S OSTANKINO TELEVISION TOWER WHERE NTV'S BROADCAST CENTRE IS LOCATED 2.51 11. GV/CU: EXTERIOR BUILDING/ FLAG WITH NTV STATION LOGO FLYING OUT OF WINDOW (2 SHOTS) 3.00 12. GV/MV: JOURNALISTS AT WORK AT NTV AFTER RESUMPTION OF NORMAL BROADCASTS ON THURSDAY/ NEWSREADER GETTING READY FOR BULLETIN/ VARIOUS OF MASTER CONTROL ROOM DURING BROADCAST (6 SHOTS) 3.32 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 21st April 2001 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Reuters ID: LVA17OJW7T404LXNV788SZOSYBF6
- Story Text: Talks between journalists at Russia's independent NTV
channel and its new contested management have broken down.
The talks collapsed barely after an hour on Friday (April
6), and the stations new managers blamed NTV journalists for
the failure.
Yevgeny Kazakov, representing state-dominated gas
giant Gazprom, said on Friday (April 6) that NTV journalists
were to blame for the collapse of the meeting of the
"conciliation commission".
"Today, [when they say] that the collective of journalists
has refused to meet with the representatives of the agreement
commission, well this seems to be some sort of rubbish,"
Kazakov told reporters.
The station's new General Director Boris Jordan, visibly
angry, told Reuters Television he had the shareholders mandate
to run NTV.
Jordan, who reportedly has no support among NTV
journalists, replaced prominent Russian journalist and NTV
presenter Yevgeny Kiselyov, as the stations News General
Director.
Kiselyov said he and his team would continue the fight
save NTV.
"People of our generation who grew up under communism and
then saw it collapse are courageous," said Kisleyov.
Earlier, there was fresh talk of a deal involving a large
purchase by CNN founder Ted Turner of shares in NTV, Russia's
only national independent channel.
Turner issued a statement from his Atlanta headquarters
urging NTV staff to "remain patient and calm" after his
advisers met Gazprom representatives to help clinch a deal.
The commission was set up after new NTV chairman Alfred
Kokh strode into NTV's studios on Thursday and engaged in
impromptu, ill-tempered discussions with reporters.
Gazprom's media branch secured control over the company at
a shareholders' meeting journalists say was illegal. The
company's new board, replacing a body dominated by NTV founder
Vladimir Gusinsky, was also meeting on Friday.
Russian President Putin upholds press freedom as a key
part of post-communist society but has accused commercial
media of "acting against the state". He will face questions on
the issue next week when he meets German Chancellor Gerhard
Schroeder in St Petersburg.
Journalists said before the meeting with Kokh that they
would present proposals to management.
NTV resumed full programmes on Thursday after three days
of protests in which only news and advertising were broadcast.
The station has earned a reputation for independent reporting,
particularly in Russia's first Chechnya war in 1994-96.
Journalists urged supporters to attend the second rally in
as many weeks in support of NTV on Saturday by their offices
at the Ostankino television tower. At least 10,000
demonstrated last week, one of the biggest Moscow protests in
recent years.
Kokh said on Thursday that under Gusinsky, NTV had run up
large debts guaranteed by Gazprom. His sole interest was to
run a profitable television station.
Russian news agencies said Gusinsky was also involved in
talks on creating a new television channel with Boris
Berezovsky -- another of the business "oligarchs" who amassed
fortunes and power in the immediate aftermath of the collapse
of communism.
The reports suggested the two men -- variously allies and
rivals in recent years -- could merge two small existing
channels, a move which would reshape the media scene in
Russia.
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