Jan

23

Prime Time Debate: Opposition says TV campaign schedule limits reach

Filed Under ArmeniaNow Weekly 

Prime Time Debate: Opposition says TV campaign schedule limits reachAs candidates in the February 19 presidential election are expected to launch their campaign on public TV and radio, some representative of Armenia’s opposition already cry foul, claiming that the hours for political programming are a disadvantage.

The campaign of candidates on public radio will begin at 1.30 pm and on television, which has the largest audience in Armenia, at 5.15 pm.

Citing studies by specialists, Public Television and Radio Board Chairman Alexan Harutyunyan stated recently that the period of airing campaign ads is the prime time, because the number of audience is great at that time. “The time was chosen not without a reason. A serious study has shown that it is during this time that television and radio gather their largest audiences,” he said.

However, opposition candidates do not agree with this, asserting that a period after 7.00 pm is the best time in terms of gathering audiences. (On weekdays soap operas are mainly shown on different channels during these hours).

“At these hours people are either at work or are on their way back to home from work, very few people watch TV from 5 to 7 pm,” says opposition Orinats Yerkir party spokeswoman Susanna Abrahamyan. “As a result, the campaign of candidates who do not possess other instruments [of influence] on television will be considerably damaged. We are very dissatisfied.”

Presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s supporter and opposition activist Nikol Pashinyan also thinks that the selection of time is aimed at reducing the efficiency of the opposition campaign.

Pashinyan says the definition of “prime time” during campaigns is out of line with the concept worldwide.

“It is the prime time only for Alexan Harutyunyan,” Pashinyan says. “But not for the purpose of campaign and for us.”
Presidential candidates representing the opposition fear that their televised campaign will be ineffective and as a result they will have only weekend coverage.

Central Election Commission secretary Abraham Bakhchagulyan says the issue is outside the scope of the body’s powers.

“We approve the timetable and amount of airtime to each candidate. We are not empowered, however, to determine the time of broadcast of events connected with election campaigns,” Bakhchagulyan says.

Under Article 81 of Armenia’s Election Code, during the election campaign, presidential candidates are allowed to use no more than 60 minutes of free and 120 minutes of paid airtime on public television and 120 free and 180 paid minutes on public radio.

According to a draw held at the CEC Monday, the election campaign on public television will be opened and ended by Prime Minister and presidential candidate Serzh Sargsyan.

By Marianna Grigoryan
Source: http://www.armenianow.com

Permanent link:  http://www.armpress.com/armenianow/2008/01/23/823/

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