Armenian Lawmakers Propose Public TV Channel Reduction Amid Funding Debate

| News, Politics, Armenia

On October 21, Taguhi Ghazaryan and Sisak Gabrielyan, members of Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract faction, proposed a bill to amend the Law on Audiovisual Media, aiming to reduce the number of public broadcaster television channels from three to two. The proposed amendment would result in the closure of Shoghakat TV, the channel affiliated with the Armenian Apostolic Church. Ghazaryan stated that for several years, the state had been funding the channel without a competitive process. "I believe these funds could be spent more effectively by commissioning programs with relevant content through competitions, in which this television company could also participate," she emphasized. In response, Lilit Galstyan, a lawmaker from the opposition Hayastan bloc, noted that half of Shoghakat’s budget was provided by the Armenian Apostolic Church. Ghazaryan, however, maintained that although the channel identified itself as cultural, it frequently voiced opposition-aligned views.

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