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Armenian Media Digest, April 20-26

The Kocharyans against Haykakan Zhamanak. An article called “The Kocharyans against Haykakan Zhamank. Legal Process Started”, April 23, of Tert.am reports that on the same day the First Instance Court of Kentron and Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan started the hearings on Levon Kocharyan’s suit (younger son of RA Second President Robert Kocharyan) against Haykakan Zhamanak daily (HZH).

Tert.am reminds that the Kocharyans brought an action against HZH for the last published news about Levon Kocharyan (JNews.am note: “The Adventures of Robert’s Son in Dubai”, HZH, February 6, 2009) according to which the president’s son “has made a debauch” in Dubai and been detained by local police.To restore the disrepute of the family honor and dignity and to compensate the damage, the Kocharyans are demanding 16 million and 120 thousand AMD (US$43,500). On April 21, two days before the trial, Haykakan Zhamanak in its editorial “The Kocharyans against HZH” says, “if HZH doesn’t consider the information as trustworthy, it won’t simply publish it,” and Nikol Pashinyan, the newspaper editor, makes his own commentaries on the issue.

The Kocharyans against Haykakan Zhamanak. An article called “The Kocharyans against Haykakan Zhamank. Legal Process Started”, April 23, of Tert.am reports that on the same day the First Instance Court of Kentron and Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan started the hearings on Levon Kocharyan’s suit (younger son of RA Second President Robert Kocharyan) against Haykakan Zhamanak daily (HZH).

Tert.am reminds that the Kocharyans brought an action against HZH for the last published news about Levon Kocharyan (JNews.am note: “The Adventures of Robert’s Son in Dubai”, HZH, February 6, 2009) according to which the president’s son “has made a debauch” in Dubai and been detained by local police.To restore the disrepute of the family honor and dignity and to compensate the damage, the Kocharyans are demanding 16 million and 120 thousand AMD (US$43,500). On April 21, two days before the trial, Haykakan Zhamanak in its editorial “The Kocharyans against HZH” says, “if HZH doesn’t consider the information as trustworthy, it won’t simply publish it,” and Nikol Pashinyan, the newspaper editor, makes his own commentaries on the issue.

The author of the article supposes such step to be “an extraordinary event when a person considering himself as a president of a country could demand 16 million AMD of an entity which functions at the same country”. “There occur such cases, but when the plaintiff is a presidential family, the sum demand is symbolic – one dram, one dollar, one pound and one euro. However in this case the Kocharyans’ cupidity shows itself again,” writes the author. The legal action is examined by Judge Arayik Melkumyan.

There was nobody from Haykakan Zhamanak to be represented as defendant. Judge Melkumyan told that Haykakan Zhamanak couldn’t appear as defendant, as it is not a legal entity. He upheld the intercession according to which during the next session the defendant of Haykakan Zhamanak will be “Dareskizb” LLC, the newspaper founder. The court delayed the session until May 12 for “Dareskizb” LLC to get prepared for the next hearing. # ATV Instead of ArmenAkob TV Covering changes at ArmenAkob TV in two of its issues during the last week Aravot daily informs that the channel has started to be aired with a new logo – ATV.

According to Aravot the TV owner licensed to be “ArmenAkob TV” LLC, was finally changed in January of this year, and now the channel is managed by “Hopar Media” LLC. On the same issue Iravunk newspaper reports that Armen Amiryan, the ex-director of ArmenAkob, the RA Public Radio director, has told them by phone that the reason of this bargain was the lack of necessary investments to which he was unprepared in a competitive environment. Amiryan hopes that the new owners of the TV could make it more interesting.

ATV General Director Vahe Ghazaryan in his talk with a reporter of Aravot has confirmed that the great deal of shares has been obtained by “Hopar Media” LLC. Ghazaryan has told also that Artur Janibekyan (manager of the Comedy Club project with a great rating in Russia) was elected as the president of the board of directors. “Taking into consideration his skills, experience, success, personal reputation and rating we asked Mr. Janibekyan to support us on creative target. And he has accepted our proposal to represent his initiatives and TV programs demanded greatly by the Russian weighty TV channels to the Armenian audience via ATV,” says Ghazaryan to Aravot.

But Aravot reporter writes that management of the decimetric wave 31, licensed to “ArmenAkob TV” LLC, by another company is considered as delinquency, in regard the item 47 of the Law on Television and Radio says, “The license owner cannot cede or sell (alienate) it to another person.” According to item 55 of the same Law the National Commission of Television and Radio of Armenia (NCTR) can declare the license invalid if “a cession of the license to other physical or legal entities has occurred.” The newspaper certifies that last week a modification was already made on the website of the National Commission of Television and Radio and “ATV” LLC has been appointed as the owner of ATV channel. While the license for the wave 31 expires on July 30, 2010.

Source: JNews.am