In Odesa, hostess of local TV station taken off air with scandal

The hostess of Odeska oblast state TV and radio company Oksana Pidnebesna was taken off air with a scandal. This was reported on August 7 at the session of the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council by the first substitute of the Council’s head Olha Herasymiuk.

According to her, the director general of Odeska oblast state TV and radio company Mayna Aksionova took off air the hostess, who mentioned that there are manifestations of separatism in the South of Odeska oblast. The hostess was also beaten. Police was called on site.

Pidnebesna hosts the daily morning live informational program ‘Novy Den’. On August 1, the day of the incident, on the morning air of ‘Novy Den’ she discussed with a representative of Odesa community defense force Todor Panovsky the topic ‘Separatism a-la Odesa’.

The director general says that the reason for suspension was that Pidnebesna mentioned ‘unchecked information’ on air. She also said that fom now on the morning program would go on air recorded, not live, to avoid ‘provocations.’ 

Aksionova also said that the hostess was suspended based on the decision of the company lawyers as she violated the principles of professional ethics by expressing her own opinion and mentioning unsubstantiated rumors as well as the convention on ethnic minorities by igniting ethnic hostility.

According to Herasymiuk, such decisions may be adopted only by the editorial board, and the director general may not decide this single-handedly.

For the context, the journalists of Odesa TV channel «Pervy Gorodskoi» Volodymyr Yuriev and Dmytro Dolmatov, who were filming on July 24 in Bolgrdsky rayon of Odeska oblast and collecting information about separatism, local police forced them to stop their work, searched their car, and for several hours demanded explanations of why the journalists came there.

Pidnebesna claims the reason for suspension was that Aksionova is reluctant to raise the issue of separatism in Odeska oblast. She also insists she made no statements and spread no rumors, she was asking the expert about the news already reported in other media outlets in regard of pro-Russian moods in Bolgrad.