TV6 (Russia)

Infobox TV channel
name = TV-6
logofile = Tv6(russia).png logosize =
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launch = January 1, 1993
closed date = January 22, 2002
picture format = 576i
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owner = LUKoil, Boris Berezovsky
slogan =
country = flagicon|Russia Russian Federation
broadcast area = flagicon|Russia Russian Federation
headquarters = flagicon|Russia Moscow, Russian Federation
former names =
replaced by names= TVS
sister names =
timeshift names =
web = http://tv6.ru (Closed)
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TV6 ( _ru. ТВ-6) was a one of the first commercial television stations in Russia. It began functioning in 1993 and was closed by Russian authorities on Tuesday, January 22, 2002. cite journal
first =Kevin
last =O'Flynn
authorlink =
coauthors =
year =2002
month =January 24
title =TV6's Reality Show Refuses to Accept Reality
journal =The Moscow Times
volume =
issue =2366
pages =
id =
url =] cite journal
first =John
last =Daniszewski
authorlink =
coauthors =
year =2002
month =January 23
title =Fight Is Vowed by Russian TV Staff; Media: But the mood is funereal as the outspoken station's frequency goes to another channel hours after its closure.
journal =Los Angeles Times
volume =
issue =
pages =3
id =
url =]

History

Opening

The channel was created by Eduard Sagalaev in the end of 1992. It started broadcasting on January 1, 1993.

Change of staff

After the NTV chanel staff was pulled of NTV they were invited to Berezovsky to his channel. However, LUKoil did not want to have NTV journalist team, which was considered to be independent for Kremlin, on TV6

Closure

After the change of staff LUKoil in May, 2001 started the court battle over bankruptcy witch the station lost on January 11, 2002, and was put into liquidation unanimously by 14 judges sitting in the supreme arbitration court, overturning a December 29, 2001 lower appeal court decision reviving the channel and ordering a new hearing of the bankruptcy application. Two lower arbitration courts had decided against the network last in the fall of 2001. cite journal
first =Richard
last =Boudreaux
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 2002
month =January 12
title =Russia's Last Free Channel Dealt a Blow; Media: Higher court rules that the TV station is insolvent and must be liquidated. Critics say the Kremlin is cracking down on free speech.
journal =Los Angeles Times
volume =
issue =
pages =3
id =
url = States that their were "13 arbitration judges", not 14.] cite journal
first =Ian
last =Traynor
authorlink =
coauthors =
year =2002
month =January 12
title =Kremlin's last TV critic silenced: Senior judges put independent station into liquidation
journal =The Guardian
volume =
issue =
pages =15
id =
url =]

An arm of the partly state owned oil company Lukoil, which owns 15% of TV-6, filed the bankruptcy proceedings in 2001. Lukoil used a law that grants shareholders the right to dissolve a company if its net worth falls below a certain level for two years. TV6 stated that its net worth plunged in 1998 but rebounded last year, when the lawsuit was filed, and in 2002 exceeded the legal level. Under a new law which came into force on January 1, 2002, a minority shareholder such as Lukoil can no longer apply for a company to be declared bankrupt. But Lukoil argued that its appeal against the appellate court was valid because the ruling was granted three days before the law came into effect.

The electricity was shut off just after midnight, Tuesday, January 22, 2002, in the middle of "Nightingale's Night" program, while a presenter was singing folk ballads with his guest. Within hours of TV6's closure, the station's frequency was allotted to an all-sports station which promised of live coverage of the 2002 Winter Olympics. cite journal
first = Michael
last = Nakoryakov
authorlink =
coauthors =
year =2002
month =January 27
title =There Is One Russian TV Crew You Won't Be Seeing in S.L.
journal =Salt Lake Tribune
volume =
issue =
pages =AA3
id =
url =]

The staff of the station got a license for a new station, TVS, but because of financial difficulties, this station was also shut down in June 2003. cite journal
first =
last =
authorlink =
coauthors =
year =2003
month =October 2
title =Russia: Rosmediakom to sue former head of TV-6 over non-return of property
journal =BBC Monitoring World Media
volume =
issue =
pages =
id =
url = Text of report by Russian newspaper Kommersant on 24 September]

Organization

Oligarch Boris Berezovsky owned 75% of TV6's stock. Berezovsky was a political enemy of President Vladimir V. Putin. TV6 was staffed largely by journalists and other employees who resigned in April 2001 when NTV was taken over by the government gas monopoly Gazprom.

International reaction

US state department representative Richard Boucher responded by stating:

"There's a strong appearance of political pressure in the judicial process against the independent media. Press freedom and the rule of law can be best served by keeping TV-6 on the air."

ee also

*Media freedom in Russia
*NTV
*TVS

Notes