On April 16, upon the RA President Serzh Sargsian’s order a competition to fill in the vacant position at the National Commission on Television and Radio was announced. The competition is held due to the expiration, in April 2013, of the term of office of the NCTR Chairman Grigor Amalian, who ran the regulatory body since its establishment, March 19, 2001.
As we have reported, in compliance with the February 26, 2007 amendments to the Broadcast Law (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, February 23 – March 1, 2007), the half of the 8 NCTR members is elected by the RA National Assembly for a 6-years term, while the other half – by the President of Armenia for the same term. On December 9, 2009 the parliament elected the four NCTR members (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, December 4-10, 2009), and on May 12, 2011 Serzh Sargsian appointed the three other members (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, May 13-19, 2011). Hence, the vacancy formed in 2013 should be filled in by the RA President.
The competition commission lists: Chairman – Avetis Berberian, Assistant to RA President; Secretary – Meri Harutiunian, Head of Public Relations and Communication Department of RA President’s Office; commission members – Armen Amirian, Executive Director of the Public Radio of Armenia; Flora Nakhshkarian, Chief Editor of “Golos Armenii” newspaper; Larisa Hovhannisan, Chief Editor of “Public Service” weekly.
The competition can accommodate citizens of Armenia who have many-year experience and higher education in journalism, broadcasting, economics, management, engineering, culture, arts, science, law or religion, and who enjoy authority and public trust, as well as have a command of Armenian language. The following category of persons cannot be member of the NCTR: members of governing bodies of parties and persons affiliated to them; heads of public or private TV and radio companies, and affiliated persons; people who have contractual relations with TV and radio companies, including employees of public and private broadcasting companies; people, convicted by a judgment in force, whose prior conviction is not expunged or expired; RA National Assembly deputies, members of RA Government, employees of RA President’s Office and civil servants. The NCTR members should not benefit their position in the interest of parties and public organizations. The NCTR members cannot be paid for any other work than scholarly, scientific and creative.
The application deadline is set on April 26, 2013. The results of the competition will be summed up in ten days.
