Armenian public TV needs to strengthen public service ethos and provide impartial news, says report commissioned by the OSCE Office

YEREVAN, 17 October 2008 - Defining clear editorial lines , improving mechanisms to measure audience needs, ceasing aggressive commercial policies and strengthening current affairs programming are some of the recommendations for Armenian public television in a report by the BBC World Service Trust presented today in Yerevan.

The report, which was commissioned by the OSCE Office in Yerevan with the aim of supporting further development of Armenia's public service broadcaster (PTV), is the result of a five-day needs assessment conducted by the BBC World Service Trust in July.

"Public television should raise its ambitions in providing programming of a broadly educational nature that would serve to the interests of different groups of the community. It should end the practice of airing programmes made by the government," said Michael Randall, Projects Manager for Europe and CIS at the BBC World Service Trust.

"We believe there is vast potential for making PTV a leader in its field and establish a blueprint for public service broadcasting which could be replicated in countries across the region. However, we also acknowledge that PTV's ability to strengthen its public service ethos relies heavily on political will and change in attitude at the government level."

The report recommended a long-term consultancy programme, whereby consultants will work with producers to support the development of new programmes and with senior managers to reorganize working methods. The BBC experts also emphasized the importance of identifying clear objectives and measurable outcomes, with local civil society organizations monitoring the impact of the training programme, based upon agreed performance indicators.