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News Room of Telavi TV-Station Was Closed

January 11, 2010

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

The News Room of the Telavi TV-Station “Tanamgzavri” was closed. Neither talk-show “Dialogue” will be aired in future. However, the TV-Station does not cease broadcasting. There were 14 employees at the company and 3 of them were journalists. Ten employees are on unpaid holiday now and it is uncertain when the news room will renew its activities.

Director of the TV-Station “Tanamgzavri” Enry Kobakhidze stated that the news room ceased its working for two reasons – “TV Station remained without office and our income has reduced.” He added that the TV-station is still located in private house in Telavi. The agreement with the house owner expired several months ago and the person did not continue the contract because he is going to sell the house.

“The monthly income of the TV-station from advertisements and announcements is not more than 2 500 GEL. It was hardly enough for the salaries. It was very difficult to prepare news because we could not fund transportation of journalists. We will show films now. The broadcasting department will be located in one room,” said Kobakhidze.

The news program “Matsne” was aired three times a day except weekend. The TV-Station had weekly talk-show “Dialogue”. It was the only local TV-station in Kakheti region which was not funded from the local district budget.

After the Rose Revolution the TV-Station “Tanamgzavri” faced several problems from the local authority. “Our correspondents could not get any public information from Telavi district administration. In November of 2005, based on the directives of the interim district governor Gocha Mamatsashvili, Financial Police raided our office and delayed our activities. They insulted and physically assaulted our journalists. Since they could not find any violations, the Financial Police raided almost every enterprise, which was advertised by us. In order to avoid additional oppression and complications those organizations refused to cooperate with us,” said the journalist of the “Tanamgzavri” and head of news room Nato Megutnishvili.

 It must be noted that the head of the TV-Station Enry Kobakhize connects the problems of the “Tanamgzavri” with the detention of Luka Ramazashvili, head of regional organization of the political party “Industry Will Save Georgia” and business-partner of Gogi Topadze. Kobakhidze was appointed on the position of the Telavi TV-station based on the recommendation of Ramazashvili. One of the owners of the TV-station Marieta Grishikashvili requested Luka Ramazashvili to assist her in the governance of the company.

Enry Kobakhidze: “I was appointed on the position of the director of the Telavi TV-station in 2006. One month later, interim district governor Gocha Mamatsashvili called me and said I had to prepare news items in favor of the ruling party. I refused him and said I would not allow anybody to interfere in editorial activities; though we were reporting everything. He interrupted me and said they would make decision instead me then.”

Marieta Grishikashvili: “After that they called me several days later. They requested me to give in my share in the TV-station. Though, they did not explain how I was to give it in – to assign or to sell it to somebody. Anyway, I refused.”

Enry Kobakhidze said after the founder of the TV-station refused to give her share, the officials of the local authority called Luka Ramazashvili. “Luka told me several times that he was warned he could face serious problems because of the TV-Station,” said Kobakhidze.

He said the situation got particularly complicated between the TV-station and local authority after they showed the special operation in Pankisi Gorge despite serious oppression from the local government. During the special operation, the policemen killed two persons in the gorge.

“Before the video-recording was shown, deputy regional governor Shalva Eristavi called me and asked not to release the video-recording. The administration of the regional police department requested the same; however we showed it. Several days later we showed how forest was cut illegally and wood was sold in Turkey; Telavi district governor Gocha Mamatsashvili was standing behind this illegal business,” recalled Enry Kobakhidze.

After that, based on the request of one of the owners and former director of the TV-station Zurab Kumsiashvili the Telavi TV-station was evicted from the building. Current administration of the TV-station rented a private house in Telavi but had to leave it in several days. In parallel to it Luka Ramazashvili was arrested.

On February 1, 2006 law enforcement officers detained director of the TV-station “Tanamgzavri” Enri Kobakhidze. Telavi district policeman Ucha Iagorashvili blamed him in minor hooliganism. According to case materials, Kobakhidze cursed in the court-room when the judge sentenced Luka Ramazashvili to two-month pretrial detention. Although nobody confirmed the fact except the policeman, the court fined Kobakhidze with 7, 5 GEL under administrative law.

According to Enry Kobakhidze, negotiations on 40 % of shares of Marieta Grishikashvili in the TV-station continued with Ramazashvili after his detention.

It must be noted, that one of the founders of the TV-station Tanamgzavri Eldar Grishikashvili (son of Marieta Grishikashvili) was killed together with his father at home in 1998. This crime is still uninvestigated.

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