ArmNews and A1+ Tv companies to start broadcasting joint program

YEREVAN, September 4. /ARKA/. Two Armenian TV companies – ArmNews and A1+ will start broadcasting a joint news program soon.

In recent days, the companies signed an agreement, under which the new broadcast will be launched on September 10 and will be aired every day but Saturday and Sunday at 21:00 local time.

Artak Alexanyan, ArmNews executive producer, speaking today at a news conference, said that the program that contains news and analyses is called Ayb-Fe (the first and the final letters of Armenian alphabet).

“The aim of this cooperation is to provide TV viewers with more competitive and multi-genre TV products,” he said.

He is convinced that the broadcast of another TV company’s program will not only enhance competitiveness of the channel, but will also give it a new impetus.

He also said that in accordance with the contract, the program will be edited by A1+, without any correction by AtrmNews.

Mesrop Movsisyan, A1+ president, who spoke at the same news conference, said that this 20-minute program will cover Armenia’s political and cultural events.

He also said that despite the agreement with ArmNews, A1+ company will continue legal proceedings against the National Television and Radio Committee. ArmNews is the third party in this legal action.

The thing is that in 2002, the committee announced Sharm company the winner in a tender for a frequency, on which A1+ broadcasted throughout five years. It meant the latter was stripped of its right to broadcast. The committee’s decision prompted protests from the opposition.
In 2010, A1+ lost another tender – this time, the company was defeated by ArmNews. The company sued the committee.

“Although the legal proceedings are under way now, I wouldn’t like to mix “work” and “protection of rights” concepts,” Movsisyan said. “We are masters of rights, and, along with that, we think we may place an order with ArmNews TV company.”

The company president said A1+ TV company has been sustaining financial and human resource losses since it was stripped from the frequency in 2002.

“Nowever, we hope everything will be put right very soon,” he said.
ArmNews TV channel started broadcasting on October 31, 2001. Initially it was transmitting Euronews channel’s programs, and later it embarked on broadcasting own programs. -0---