05:55 a.m: NTV journalists keep vigil

INTERACTIVE:

- NTV JOURNALISTS KEEP VIGIL
Moscow - Journalists kept up a vigil on Thursday to block a hostile takeover of Russia's only nationwide independent television station, while Ted Turner rode to their rescue - and into a full-blown Moscow political storm.
Early on Thursday morning, NTV television showed pictures of police vans it said had gathered outside its studio, saying it feared they were there to keep its morning news off the air. Police could not be reached for comment.

- DON'T QUARREL WITH MEDIA ELITE - RUSSIAN UPPER HOUSE CHAIRMAN
Moscow - There is no point in quarreling with the media elite, Russian Federation Council Chairman Yegor Stroyev told Interfax on Wednesday as he commented on the battle for control of NTV. The rejection of the new company management by NTV journalists is reminiscent of "what we saw in the TV reports on alcohol factories and the Uralmash engineering plant," he said.
The NTV developments are of public importance, Stroyev said. They have to do with freedom of speech that must be backed, he said. In this light, the Federation Council has told its Culture and Education Committee to take up the NTV issue, Stroyev said.

- PUTIN'S DUMA REPRESENTATIVE CALLS FOR NON-INTERFERENCE IN NTV DISPUTE
Moscow - Duma members must not under any circumstances meddle in the dispute over the independent NTV channel, presidential representative in parliament Alexander Kotenkov told Interfax on Wednesday. The dismissals and appointments in the TV company management is a purely legal issue to be tackled in the court room, if necessary, he said. Kotenkov described NTV's Tuesday evening program, calling on people to take to the streets and do what has been done in the Czech republic, as political provocation.

THE RUSSIA JOURNAL LINKS:

NTV General Director Yevgeny Kiselyov's profile and interview, published in the RJ earlier

Earlier RJ articles on NTV, Media-Most and Media in Russia

Earlier Media Watch columns from The Russia Journal

- MEDIA-MOST PROPOSES MORATORIUM ON NTV RESHUFFLES
Moscow - The Media-MOST holding company has proposed a moratorium of up to three months "on any actions aimed at the replacement of both the management and the staff of NTV. Media-MOST put the proposal to Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom and its media arm, Gazprom-Media, and sent a letter to that effect to the Gazprom board of directors and Gazprom-Media executive, the Media-MOST press service has said.
"Media-MOST still believes that the NTV shareholders' meeting on Tuesday, that replaced the NTV board, has no legal basis under it. Nevertheless, the situation that has arisen - leads into an impasse, destroys the company, violates the rights of television viewers and contradicts their interests.
"For this reason, and also because a group of foreign investors headed by Ted Turner has reached an agreement with the Media-MOST leadership to acquire a block of shares in NTV, we propose to you that a moratorium of up to three months be declared on any actions aimed at the replacement both of the management and the [journalists'] and technical staff of the company. "The new composition of the NTV governing bodies and its officers must be approved by the whole body of the television company's shareholders."

- BANK OF NEW YORK VOTED ON BEHALF OF CAPITAL RESEARCH AT NTV MEETING
Moscow - At the NTV shareholders meeting on April 3, the Bank of New York voted with 4.44% of the television company's shares, belonging to Capital Research, an NTV board member, Alexander Reznikov, told Interfax. He thus refuted a statement made by Yevgeny Kiselyov that the American
shareholder had not taken part in the meeting.
Shareholders indicated in the shareholder register had access to participation in the shareholders meeting, he said. The register includes the Bank of New York International Nominees, while Capital Research holds ADR on NTV shares, issued by the company, Reznikov said.
"This explains the presence at the NTV shareholders meeting of the man with the Bank of New York placard, that Kiselyov took a dislike to," he said. The Bank of New York International Nominees representative voted by proxy. Instructions on voting with the 4.44% shares are the concern of the Bank of New York International Nominees and Capital Research, he said.
"There can be no doubt that the Bank of New York International Nominees acted according to instructions from Capital Research," Reznikov said. "We hope that by familiarizing himself with such instructions former NTV general director Kiselyov can dispel doubts on the competence of the NTV shareholders meeting on April 3," he said.

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