'Caucasian One' TV-channel resumes broadcasting
Read on the website Vestnik Kavkaza
Recently, executive officers of 'Caucasian One' - a Russian-language Georgian TV-channel - held a press-conference in Tbilisi. The channel has resumed broadcasting on the territories of the North Caucasus, European Russia and CIS countries after a long break. The channel had problems with the French satellite provider 'Eutelsat', which refused to sign a contract that had already been endorsed. The 'Eutelsat' company preferred to sell its transponders on its 'W7' satellite to Russia's 'Gazprom-Media'. Tbilisi officials are convinced that this was an attempt by Russia to hamper 'Caucasian One'
broadcasting in the North Caucasus.
However pragmatic the decision of the French company was, it faced disapproval from European politicians. Georgian TV-company lost the case in a Paris court, but Eutalsat had to submit to political pressure аnd contract another satellite for 'Caucasus One', the 'Hot Bird'. It's range is as wide as the 'W7's', but residents of the North Caucasus will experience some inconveniences if they want to watch TV-channels broadcast by the 'Hot Bird': they will either have to purchase second satellite antennae, or choose between 'Caucasus One' and Russian entertainment channels broadcast from 'W7'.
Nevertheless, 'Caucasus One' executives are optimistic about the channel's future. Robert Parsons, representative of a British management company, who attended Tbilisi press-conference, said that
the channel covers a large spectrum of themes and that its program for interactive Internet broadcasting is promising and could help ordinary people control the official administration. The channel also aspires to make the peoples of the Caucasus more involved in global culture,
to show them the most interesting places of the world. The head of the 'Caucasus One' information service, Katherine Kotrikadze, and Caucasian anthropology expert, Mamuka Areshidze, talk about the
'Caucasian One' channel: Katherine Kotrikadze: As for the legal status of the channel, it has a
management company, C-1, and Robert Parsons and I are its cofounders. We gather and select the information and then hand it over to Georgian television. The main goal of our channel is to provide the citizens of Russia and CIS with accurate information on developments in Georgia without any kind of preconceptions.
Mamuka Areshidze: There is no doubt that the main goal of the channel is to provide information about Georgia to Russia and CIS, but Tbilisi also hopes to gain some influence over processes that are taking place in the North Caucasus this way. Russia managed to convince the residents of the North Caucasus of the injustice of Georgia towards the Abkhazian and Ossetian peoples in the 1990s, and now it's our turn to correct this misconception. But to this end the channel should be upright and not engage in propaganda. We will pay special attention to historical programs that will help people understand the sources of Caucasian problems and draw their own conclusions, we'll offer Caucasian people information that Russian channels do not reveal.
Nevertheless, 'Caucasus One' executives are optimistic about the channel's future. Robert Parsons, representative of a British management company, who attended Tbilisi press-conference, said that
the channel covers a large spectrum of themes and that its program for interactive Internet broadcasting is promising and could help ordinary people control the official administration. The channel also aspires to make the peoples of the Caucasus more involved in global culture,
to show them the most interesting places of the world. The head of the 'Caucasus One' information service, Katherine Kotrikadze, and Caucasian anthropology expert, Mamuka Areshidze, talk about the
'Caucasian One' channel: Katherine Kotrikadze: As for the legal status of the channel, it has a
management company, C-1, and Robert Parsons and I are its cofounders. We gather and select the information and then hand it over to Georgian television. The main goal of our channel is to provide the citizens of Russia and CIS with accurate information on developments in Georgia without any kind of preconceptions.
Mamuka Areshidze: There is no doubt that the main goal of the channel is to provide information about Georgia to Russia and CIS, but Tbilisi also hopes to gain some influence over processes that are taking place in the North Caucasus this way. Russia managed to convince the residents of the North Caucasus of the injustice of Georgia towards the Abkhazian and Ossetian peoples in the 1990s, and now it's our turn to correct this misconception. But to this end the channel should be upright and not engage in propaganda. We will pay special attention to historical programs that will help people understand the sources of Caucasian problems and draw their own conclusions, we'll offer Caucasian people information that Russian channels do not reveal.
Georgy Kalatozishvili. Exclusively for VK.