Broadcasts from Turkish Parliament Partly Cut
The live broadcasts from the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) have been limited to three half days per week. TBMM TV, broadcasting live from the Turkish Parliament, will only broadcast on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 2.00 and 7.00 am. Sessions of the TBMM General Assembly at any other time will not be transmitted and neither will be meetings of party factions.
The new application came just before the summer intermission of the parliament. TBMM TV has been broadcasting the Parliamentary General Assembly since 1995. Its broadcasting frequency is being shared with TRT 3, the sports channel of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT).
On Sunday (17 July), the sessions of the general assembly and the commission in parliament were not broadcasted for the first time in 16 years because TRT did not apply to the TBMM Presidency for an extension of the licence.
The nation-wide Radikal newspaper commented that the reason for the new application was being stated as "interpreting the speeches made on the opposition bench as 'propaganda'".
CNN Türk noted, "The TBMM Presidency and the minister and deputies of the AK Party [Justice and Development Party] in particular took a surprising decision about TBMM TV. They described the 'greetings of the opposition representatives to the electorate' as a basic factor that leads to discussions and lengthy sessions in parliament".
bianet talked to officials of the TBMM Television Presidency to obtain further information. bianet was told that the presidency had not received any such request from the ruling party (AKP). It was said that after the summer recess, the protocol with TRT might be renewed and that they could even revert to the former application. However, the officials added that there was no detailed information available yet.
It was said that since TBMM TV started broadcasting in 1995, the TBMM used to sent a writing to TRT to increase the days and the times of broadcastings (three days a week five hours per day). However, this year the TBMM Presidency did not send any request to TRT regarding an increase of the days and hours of broadcasting before the protocol was renewed in July.
At the same time, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the main opposition party Republican People's Party (CHP), wrote on his Twitter account, "Not a restricted use but expanded media channels make it easier to reach the public. Do not cut the television broadcasts from parliament". (ÖÖ/ŞA/VK)