The Komi want Komi-language TV
Komi journalists and public figures believe that the license of the national television channel OTR (a Russian national television channel financed from the state budget) should be changed so that the channel would also broadcast programmes in the Komi language.
The social movement Komi Voityr, the Association of Public Organisations of the Komi Republic, and the State Council of the Komi Republic are preparing a joint appeal on this issue to the Federal Council of Russia and other relevant authorities. This issue was raised at a round table organised by the United Russia party, which discussed the development of the Komi language in the media. The meeting was chaired by State Council deputy Anastasia Mikhailova. She and the chairman of the Council of Public Organisations, Gennady Levitsky, raised a number of issues concerning the use of the Komi language in the media, especially on television.
Licensing problem
“In recent years, the national television channel Yurgan has been broadcast on the nationwide OTR channel and available to all citizens of the republic from 6 to 9 am and from 5 to 7 pm. Unfortunately, the license currently allocated to the OTR channel stipulates that only Russian-language programmes may be broadcast on the channel. Violation of the terms of the license will result in its revocation”, Levitski noted.
This means that Yurgan’s programmes cannot be viewed on national television, and this also affects other ethnic regions belonging to the Russian Federation. The appeal calls for changes to the terms of the license to allow programmes in national languages to be broadcast on the national television channel OTR. According to the authors of the appeal, otherwise a large part of the republic’s population will be deprived of programmes in their native languages.
Radio vs. television
Anastasia Mikhailova noted that the head of the republic, Rostislav Goldshtein, had previously supported Komi Voityr’s proposal to broadcast radio programmes in the Komi language at the local level. Komi-language radio programmes are currently broadcast on FM channels in five districts. However, in the case of television, it is not possible to resolve this issue at the local level. Mikhailova expressed her hope that this proposal will also be supported by the Federal Council.
