Referat theme: Mass media in Uzbekistan Done by: Kambarov H. Checked by

Television 

 

 

According to the U.S. nongovernmental organization, Internews, there are 

about 35 independent TV stations in Uzbekistan along with the State TV and Radio 

Company. It is not designated as a "state" company by a decree of the Uzbek 

Cabinet, which expects it to be financially fully independent "as soon as possible." 

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Analysts observe that, given its size and operations and the state of the private 

sector, it is likely to be state-owned for a long time.  

The State TV, which was predominantly dependent on Russian programs in the 

first few years, has reduced the transmission of broadcast hours of Russian 

channels like ORT and RTR. In order not to  deprive people who would like to 

continue to watch Russian television as well as to cater to the sizeable ethnic 

Russian population in the cities, the government has encouraged the growth of 

cable TV, which operate as small stations providing individuals with such a service 

for a monthly fee. Such cable TV stations often provide international programs 

with channels such as CNN, TNT, ESPN, and BBC. The largest of the cable TV 

stations is Kamalak TV, with as many as 10 Russian and international channels.  

The Uzbek government manages not to allow any "independent" TV stations to 

operate in the capital city of Tashkent, where political sensitivities matter far more 

than in smaller cities and towns and the rural areas. The one exception is Channel 

30 in Tashkent, which walks a tightrope in terms of self-censorship. It also 

transmits foreign and Russian licensed programs. The independent stations mostly 

broadcast to provincial areas. Even so, they practice self-censorship, only less than 

the State TV. Most independent stations have outmoded equipment and depend on 

the U.S. Internews, which helps them by providing equipment and training. 

Because most independent stations do not and cannot afford sophisticated editorial 

staff, the Internews collects news reports from most of these stations, develops 

them into a program, and then redistributes the news program to the stations ready 

for broadcast.  

Although all independent stations are, by definition, financially independent, 

some of them, such as those in Samarkand and Andijan are well-funded and can 

afford plans for expansion and quality improvement. They have their own news 

programs at the local level and are not, to that extent, completely dependent on the 

Internews. Besides, they have their own talk shows, which they broadcast on their 

own FM radio stations as well.  

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The State TV has four channels, each with a different coverage, language of 

broadcast, and content. The Uzbek Channel 1 is the primary channel, and bears a 

resemblance to C-SPAN, with an emphasis on all government activities, speeches, 

and public events, with a pronounced political and economic bias. It broadcasts in 

Uzbek (except for news in Russian) and is the most censored of all State TV 

channels. The Uzbek Channel 2 is called "Yoshlar," or Youth Channel. It covers 

one-half of the geographical area of the country. Although the channel is supposed 

to compete with Channel 1, its coverage, apart from some emphasis on 

"entertainment of the youth" covers political events such as presidential and 

parliamentary elections, political events, and talk shows on political and economic 

issues. The channel uses both Uzbek and Russian in its broadcasts, It is, like 

Channel 1, subject to strict censorship. Channels 3 and 4 are entertainment-

oriented with movies, and sports;Channel 3, also known as TTV because of its 

coverage focused on Tashkent, sometimes creates its own programs.  

All four channels retransmit pirated western and Russian movies and other 

programs by downloading them off satellites and dubbing them into Uzbek and/or 

Russian. Copyright violations are routine in Uzbekistan despite the country's 

membership in the International Intellectual Property Organization.