Authorities temporarily cut independent radio station off its main frequency

(CPJ/IFEX) – On 13 October 1997, the state-run telecommunications company, Slovak Telecom, cut the popular independent radio station Radio Twist off its main frequency for 25 hours, citing unpaid bills for the use of its transmitter in the capital, Bratislava. Andrei Hric, the station’s owner and general manager, said Radio Twist was switched off without […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – On 13 October 1997, the state-run telecommunications
company, Slovak Telecom, cut the popular independent radio
station Radio Twist off its main frequency for 25 hours, citing
unpaid bills for the use of its transmitter in the capital,
Bratislava. Andrei Hric, the station’s owner and general manager,
said Radio Twist was switched off without notice after its midday
news show was broadcast. Telecom officials told Hric that the
move was due to his station’s failure to pay 170,000 crowns
(about US$ 5,600) in overdue debts since 13 September. Hric said
he paid the overdue debt on 13 October, but the signal was still
shut off.

Hric said Slovak state television and public radio together owe
Slovak Telecom some 550 million crowns in overdue debts, while
VTV, a private television station linked to the government, owes
400 million crowns. None of these stations has been shut off for
their arrears. Hric concluded that Radio Twist was singled out
for its hard-hitting reporting on government activities. He said
Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar, in a television interview last
week, threatened unspecified retaliation against his station and
the independent Markisa-TV for reporting on his recent trip to
Croatia. Hric complained that Radio Twist has been subjected to
many verbal attacks and harassment by Slovak officials over the
past few years.

Radio Twist managed to stay on the air for the full 25 hours, but
for only part of its audience. The station switched its signal to
its privately owned transmitter in Banska Bystrica, in central
Slovakia, and moved all of its programming to its studio there.
Listeners in Bratislava, however, where Radio Twist enjoys the
greatest market share, were cut off due to distance, which
prompted many protests by the public. The signal was switched
back on after 2 pm on 14 October, which Hric attributed to public
pressure.

Recommended Action

His Excellency Vladimir Meciar

Prime Minister

Office of the Government of the Slovak Republic

Bratislava, Slovakia

Fax: +427 5315 487

His Excellency

Michal Kovac

The President of Slovak Republic

Bratislava, Slovakia