ATTEMPTS BY THE PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION TO DISCREDIT NTV AND ORT

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06877052
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: July 13, 2023
• Document Release Date: May 10, 2022
• Case Number: F-2020-00968
• Publication Date: April 13, 2000

Approved for Release: 2022/03/09 C06877052
TOP CRET//HCS//ORCON/NOFORN
Classified By: UNSPECIFIED
Classification Reason: UNSPECIFIED
Declassify On: X1
-1T-S7/PICS1teGiNF4SUBJ: ATTEMPTS BY THE PRESIDENTIAL
ADMINISTRATION TO DISCREDIT NTV AND ORT
Identifiers:
(b)(3)
Dates:
Date Acquired:
Date Published: 13-Apr-2000 17:21:00
Date Received: 13-Apr-2000 22:21:52
Coverage:
CIA Country Code: RUS
Region: EURASIA, RUSSIA
Publisher:
Agency Acronym: CIA
Office Name: NCS
Contact For:
WELCOME.
COMMENTS, EVALUATIONS, AND REQUIREMENTS
Warnings: (7g7M-05770C/Ilf-y-- CENTRAL
INTELLIGENCE AGENCY INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED
INTELLIGENCE
(U) CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
(U) INFORM TION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE REPORT CLASS T
0 P E T--HUMINT CHANNELS ONLY--NOFORN--ORCON
(U) EXCLUSIVE DISSEMINATION TO ADDRESSEES LISTED AT END OF REPORT
(U) REPORT CLASS T E T--HUMINT CHANNELS ONLY--NOT RELEASABLE TO
FOREIGN NATIONALS--DISSEMINATION AND EXTRACTION OF INFORMATION
CONTROLLED BY ORIGINATOR.
ALL PORTIONS CARRY CLASSIFICATION AND
CONTROLS OF OVERALL DOCUMENT. END OF MESSAGE T-EtP-SECITEr
CTS7111ttff&G4.14F-4 1
THE PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION (PA) WILL SOON ATTEMPT
TO DISCREDIT THE RIVAL INDEPENDENT TELEVISION NETWORK NTV AND MIGHT
WITHDRAW ITS LICENSE AS EARLY AS MAY. CONSEQUENTLY, MANY NTV JOURNALISTS
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HAVE ALREADY QUIT THE NETWORK AND JOINED RIVAL TELEVISION OUTLETS ORT AND
THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED VGTRK. COMMENT: THE PA REGARDS NTV
AS AN ALIEN CHANNEL AND WILL AT LEAST TRY TO DISCREDIT IT. THE GOVERNMENT
COULD REVOKE NTV'S LICENSE BECAUSE, OPERATING UNDER A PRESIDENTIAL
DECREE USING THE FREQUENCIES OF A PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL CHANNEL, NTV FAILED
TO PRODUCE A GOVERNMENT-MANDATED MAJOR EDUCATIONAL NETWORK ON THOSE
FREQUENCIES. ALTERNATIVELY, THE PA COULD TRY TO HURT NTV FINANCIALLY BY
RAISING THE COST OF ITS TV SIGNAL TRANSMITTER, WHICH FALLS UNDER VGTRK
CONTROL. THE PA COULD FACILITATE NTV LOSING AN UPCOMING MAJOR FREQUENCY
TENDER BY CHARGING AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT FOR IT. THE PA ALSO COULD DEMAND
NTV SAVE ITSELF BY CUTTING A DEAL WITH THE KREMLIN, WHEREBY NTV WOULD
AGREE TO FOLLOW GOVERNMENT DICTATES ON ITS PROGRAMMING.)
COMMENT: ACCORDING TO THE RUSSIAN MEDIA, THE GOVERNMENT HAS ANNOUNCED
A FEDERAL TENDER TO BE HELD ON 24 MAY 2000 FOR THE BROADCASTING LICENSES
TO OPERATE ON CHANNEL ONE, CURRENTLY HELD BY ORT, AND ON CHANNEL THREE,
NOW HELD BY MOSCOW MAYOR YURIY ((LUZHKOV))'S CENTER TV. AS WELL AS FOR A
NIMARFR OF RFP,IONAI RADIO AND TFI FVISION CHANNFJ S
(TS//HCS//0C/NF) 2. MEDIA MINISTER
MIKHAIL ((LESIN)) WANTS TO MANIPULATE OLIGARCH BORIS ((BEREZOVSKIY))'S ORT
TELEVISION. COMMENT: ORT, OR RUSSIAN PUBLIC TELEVISION,
RUSSIA'S MOST FAR-REACHING NETWORK, IS MAJORITY STATE-OWNED BUT HAS BEEN
FINANCED AND CONTROLLED LARGELY BY BEREZOVSKIY). LESIN IS HOPEFUL THAT HE
CAN CONVINCE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR ((PUTIN)) TO TRANSFER ORT FROM THE
PREMIER CHANNEL ONE POSITION TO CHANNEL TWO TO REDUCE ORT'S AND
BEREZOVSKIY'S INFLUENCE. IF BEREZOVSKIY
r_DOES NOT ENTHUSIASTICALLY SUPPORT THE NEW PA,
LESIN MIGHT PULL THE LICENSE FOR ORT ALTOGETHER. LESIN AND PUTIN ARE
KEENLY AWARE THAT BEREZOVSKIY USED ORT TO UNDERMINE THE PAST
GOVERNMENT, AND PROMINENT PA MEDIA OFFICIALS LIKE LESIN CONSIDER IT
DANGEROUS TO ALLOW BEREZOVSKIY TO CONTINUE TO MANIPULATE THE PUBLIC VIA
ORT. IN ADDITION PUTIN WOULD NOT WANT RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT MONEY FUNNELED TO ORT IF IT COULD BE USED AGAINST HIM.
CONSEQUENTLY, THE PA TO MOVE AGAINST ORT IN THE NEAR
FUTURE.
(TS//HCS//0C/NF) 3. COMMENT: LESIN COULD BE HINTING, HOWEVER, AT
MOVING ORT TO CHANNEL TWO OR PULLING ITS LICENSE IN ORDER TO COERCE
BEREZOVSKIY INTO BEING LOYAL TO PUTIN. IF LESIN DID PULL ORT'S LICENSE, HIS
VIDEOINTERNATIONAL AD AGENCY WOULD LOSE THE FIVE-YEAR COMMERCIAL
CONTRACT LESIN SIGNED WITH ORT. BUT WITH ORT IN VIRTUAL BANKRUPTCY, THE
FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT MIGHT NOT BE ENOUGH OF A FINANCIAL INCENTIVE FOR LESIN
TO ALLOW ORT TO KEEP ITS LICENSE. THE BANKRUPTCY COULD ALSO BE USED AS AN
EXCUSE TO REVOKE OR DECREASE BEREZOVSKIY'S LEADERSHIP OF ORT. WHETHER
OR NOT ORT STAYS ON THE AIR, THE PA WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO IMPLY THAT RIVAL
PRESS OUTLETS WILL SUPPORT PUTIN OR FACE EXTINCTION. ORT, NTV, AND TV
CENTER ALL FEEL THREATENED UNDER THE NEW REGIME.)
Collection: HT
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Creator:
Agency Acronym: CIA
Office Name: NCS
Contact For:
WELCOME.
COMMENTS, EVALUATIONS, AND REQUIREMENTS (b)(3)
Description: (U) NONE.
Distribution List:
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(b)(3)
Language: en
Precedence: P
Source:
(b)(1)
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Subject: None
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