Georgia: Rumored Merger Heightens Concern About Press Freedom

Rumors of a plan to merge Georgia's three main television broadcasters are stoking concerns about the state of media freedom in Georgia.

Although Tbilisi has been held up in the past as a role model for other former Soviet states in the media realm, local and international observers now say that mass media trends are moving in a negative direction. That trend could accelerate if the media merger goes through.

Georgia Media Incorporated, the media arm of the Georgian Industrial Group (GIG) which owns 45 percent of Rustavi 2 and Mze television stations – the only two functioning, nation-wide stations not under state ownership in Georgia – is rumored to be considering purchasing a 51 percent stake in Imedi Television, a station known for its opposition standpoint. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

A spokesperson for Georgian Media Incorporated told EurasiaNet that the proposal was "under consideration" and an announcement is planned for late August. Natia Turnava, the executive director of Georgian Industrial Group, would not comment on the rumors although she said that a merger was a "logical step" for the company.

The proposed purchase by GIG is just the latest in a string of ownership questions for the embattled Imedi. Formally the Georgian flagship entity of late media tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili and the international media conglomerate News Corp., the station has not fully recovered from fallout surrounding a government case against Patarkatsishvili, who was accused of using the broadcaster in an attempt to overthrow the government. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Currently the station is under the stewardship of Joseph Kay, allegedly a relative and close associate of the late Patarkatsishvili. However, both Patarkatsishvili's family and News Corp announced in March plans to fight Kay's claims to the station. In May, a New York court ruled against Kay, although a Georgian court has ruled in his favor. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The station, which ceased news broadcasts in January of 2008, announced plans to resume full programming in September. Neither Imedi nor News Corp would comment about their involvement in the station for this article.

According to Nina Ognianova, the program coordinator for Europe and Central Asia at the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, the questions surrounding Imedi's ownership highlight a particularly troubling aspect to Georgia's media market.

"What is currently not available in Georgia is the transparency of who the owners are, what their interests are. There is a lot of speculation about who is who and what their real stake is in these stations and wherever there is a lot of rumor, there is a lot of room for speculation," she told EurasiaNet in a telephone interview. "I think it is the state's role to come forward and to put an end to it