Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Culture Minister thanks EBU for assistance to Georgian Member


Tbilisi - Culture Minister Nicholas Rurua thanked the EBU for assisting Georgian Public Broadcasting (GPB) in developing a five-year strategy, and he promised government support to help GPB preserve its archives and move to new premises.

Mr Rurua met EBU Vice-President Claudio Cappon and his predecessor, Boris Bergant, following presentation of GPB's strategy for 2011-2015 at a conference attended by GPB staff, Board Members and representatives of international organizations in the Georgian capital.

The EBU's help in the developing of GPB's new strategy was mounted as part of the EBU's Special Assistance Project under the leadership of Mr Bergant and with the participation of consultants Bernard Broyet (formerly of France Télévisions), Maartens Verwaest (ex-VRT) and Marja-Riitta Kavanen (ex-YLE). The work was supported by the United Nations Development Programme with funds from the Swedish International Development Agency.

Vice-President Cappon, who was accompanied by Mr Bergant and by EBU Head of Special Assistance David Lewis, told Mr Rurua it was very important for every European country to have a modern public service broadcaster. He praised the management of GPB for their energy, ambition and speed of action, and expressed the EBU's readiness to continue offering support - for example in the area of archiving.

Mr Rurua said it was vital to save GPB's archives, which included some material from Soviet times which had survived only in Tbilisi. He hoped the European Union could provide some funding to save the archives, which were being lost "as we speak", but that Georgia itself could also provide funding.

The Minister also promised funding to help GPB host the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, possibly in 2013, and to assist GPB in its plans to build a new headquarters on the edge of Tbilisi in time for digitalisation due by 2015. GPB plans to sell its ageing headquarters in the centre of the city to finance the new building, but requires a government guarantee to cover the construction period.

GPB's new strategy was presented to the conference by Director General Giorgi Chanturia, who expressed his sincere thanks to the EBU and in particular to Mr Bergant. "The EBU is a bridge between GPB and the rest of the world,"  he said.

Jamie McGoldrick, the UN Resident Coordinator in Georgia, also paid tribute to the EBU's support and expertise. He pledged to support implementation of the strategy, and stressed the importance of media being free of political and commercial influence in the run-up to Georgian parliamentary elections due in May.

(Source : European Broadcasting Union)  

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