Danilov on the shutdown of "Espreso," Priamyy, and Channel 5: "Let them join the telethon again"
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov stated that there was no decision to close the channels and suggested that they return to the telethon.
He stated this on air of joint telethon, "Еspreso" reports.
Danilov was asked how he felt about the decision not to include some channels into the telethon and to remove them from digital broadcasting altogether. He replied that there was no decision to close the channels and that they were all working and broadcasting somewhere. He invited TV channels to return to the telethon and stressed that the media landscape is extremely important during the war.
"If there are some shortcomings – say so, but it does not mean that you have to twitch every five minutes that it's all over, a disaster," said the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
As ІМІ has reported, on April 4, Channel 5, "Priamyy," and "Espreso" announced that on April 4 in the morning the Broadcasting, Radiocommunications, and Television Concern (BRTC) had shut down the broadcasting of these TV channels in T2 digital network. The channels declared that the shut down was illegal, as there is no document that would give the BRT Concern justifications for it, and that neither the National Council nor the Ministry of Defence, which is mandated to regulate the martial law, nor the NSDC or any other govenment bodies have approved any decisions about shutting the channels down.
Digital television provider "Zeonbud," which is currently subject to the governmental BRT Concern, is not aware of the reasons for "Espreso," "Priamyy," and Channel 5 being shut down.
The National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting has announced that it has not approved of the decision to shut down the "Priamyy," Channel 5, and "Espreso" channels, and does not have a mandate to do so.
On April 8, Media Movement and the Commission on Journalistic Ethics urged the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to intervene in the situation with the shutdown of "Espresso," "Priamyy," and Channel 5, to explain the reasons for it, and to renew their broadcasting.
On April 8, the staff of "Espreso," "Priamyy," and Channel 5 urged the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to react to the actions of the Broadcasting, Radiocommunications, and Television (BRT) Concern which, in their opinion, violate the constitutional rights of the channels' staff.
On April 14, the staff of "Espreso," "Priamyy," and Channel 5 issued an open letter to the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine Matti Maasikas about being banned from digital broadcasting.
On April 14, the staff of "Espreso," "Priamyy," and Channel 5 urged the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to bring the channels back on air.
The Head of Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Mykyta Poturayev believes that the shutdown of some broadcasters occurred due to the insufficient organizational work on the national telethon.
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