NTV talks break down

Kiselyov was voted "editor in chief" by journalists

MOSCOW, Russia -- Talks have broken down between journalists at Russia's only independent television channel and its new management.

Representatives of Gazprom, the largest shareholder in NTV met the company's journalists at a "conciliation commission" on Friday following days of protests.

The journalists are opposed to the new control and management changes.

The new chairman of the NTV board, Alfred Kokh, said the break down of the talks "was not our (Gazprom's) fault."

He said NTV journalists had presented him with an ultimatum which included sending a joint message to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin has so far remained silent about the conflict, but has in the past accused the Russian media of "acting against the state".

He is likely to face questions on the issue at a meeting next week in St. Petersburg with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

At a board meeting last Tuesday, Gazprom appointed five of its personnel to the board after obtaining a 50.5 percent majority stake in the company - a move opposed by the station's journalists.

Kokh, head of the gas company's subsidiary Gazprom-Media became chairman of the board, while the new general director of network is Boris Jordan, a 34 year old U.S. investment banker.

NTV has resumed broadcasts after three days of protests, but the network continues to flash words of protest across the screen and devotes the first of its news items to the dispute with Gazprom.

The network showed excerpts of articles from leading foreign newspapers critical of efforts to end the station's independence.

Kokh and ousted director Yevgeny Kiselyov agreed at a meeting on Thursday to create a "commission" of up to 10 people from both sides to decide the fate of the station's leadership.

A rally to support the station is planned for Saturday at NTV's offices at the main TV tower in Moscow. Journalists are urging reporters to attend the rally after a large crowd attended a similar event last week.

The U.S. State Department's spokesman Richard Boucher expressed support for NTV on Thursday.

It "played an important role in the development of political and media pluralism in Russia. ... It is important that the NTV editorial staff continue to exercise full control over news and information programming," he said.

Gazprom said the new appointments were prompted by NTV's financial problems and its debts of $127 million. Kokh and Jordan have pledged to protect NTV's editorial independence, but an NTV broadcast last week expressed pessimism over maintaining impartiality under the new leadership.

It said journalists did not recognise Jordan as the new general director, with NTV staff insisting the takeover was orchestrated by the Kremlin.

They say it was intended to close down the only nationwide network that has reported critically on problems ranging from the wars in Chechnya to corruption.

Jordan has rebuffed calls by NTV for a three-month cooling off period and has demanded that his predecessor Kiselyov hand over control of the company's affairs

Kiselyov, meanwhile, has refused to do so and has been voted "editor in chief" by journalists.

CNN founder Ted Turner has agreed in principle to buy an interest in NTV from the Russian businessman now being held in Spain, Vladimir Gusinsky.

Gusinsky gave up overall control of his empire last November when Gazprom wrote off $211 million of the station's debt.

Gazprom-Media says he lost further influence when bailiffs, following up on a court order, impounded 19 percent of NTV's stock in January.

According to the Washington Post, Turner's representatives are due to hold talks with Gazprom on Friday.

Gusinsky's fate is also uncertain. Russian prosecutors want him extradited from Spain to face charges that he over-stated the assets in his holding company Media-Most to win loan guarantees from Gazprom.

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April 5, 2001
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April 4, 2001
Ted Turner signs NTV deal
April 4, 2001
Ted Turner signs NTV deal
April 4, 2001

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