On Monday Journalists at Georgian state TV network First Caucasian Channel staged an on-air protest at closure threats.
Employees at the Russian-language network said their satellite feed had been cut on October 13, and mentioned that the threats to close the station were after the Georgian Dream coalition’s victory in the parliamentary elections. But some employees and observers, however, say the channel’s shoddy financial management has been a crucial factor in its potential collapse.
Georgian media analyst David Mchedlidze said that the channel had already spent its 8.5 million dollar budget for 2012 by the time of the October 1 parliamentary elections.
“As a purely export satellite channel, it’s a very difficult business model, and I’m not sure we tried hard enough to actually make our own money and be self-sufficient,” said Nicholas Clayton, senior editor at PIK English.
PIK’s coverage is known to be critical of Russian foreign and domestic policy, and the network has been hit by detractors, including Georgian Dream members, as a propaganda vehicle for pro-Western President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Saakashvili supporters condemned Prime Minister-elect Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leader of Georgian Dream of being a pro-Russian.
“I expect we probably are not going to figure heavily in the Georgian Dream government’s plans in the 2013 budget,” said Clayton. “The channel might not exist as of January 1.”
