On December 3, the National Assembly of Armenia adopted in the second hearing and finally draft laws on introducing amendments in the RA Law “On Television and Radio” and in the “The Statutes of the National Commission on Television and Radio”, the first versions of which were ratified on November 4 (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, October 31 – November 6, 2003). Alongside this, the two articles, later introduced in the draft of amendments to the broadcast law, apply to the procedure of establishing the bodies regulating the broadcast sphere. According to proposed amendments, the selection of the vacancy in the National Commission on Television and Radio, and the Council of Public TV and Radio Company will be implemented on competitive basis. However, the candidate will still be nominated by the President of the country.
On the same day of December 3, one more draft law on the introduction of amendments and additions in RA Law “On Television and Radio” was adopted in the second reading and finally. Initiated by National Assembly deputies Victor Dallakian and Artak Arakelian and ratified in the first reading on November 5, the document stipulates daily broadcasting on the Public Television of at least one child and one news program with a deaf-and-dumb translation or subtitles in the Armenian language for impaired viewers.
