International team consisting from 7 members will work in Bayan-Olgii, the only Kazakh province in Mongolia 12- 19 April 2006. The trip is a part of preparation of Globe International project to support public service broadcasting under UNESCO auspices. The international team is represented by Globe International, UNESCO, Asian Broadcasting Union (ABU), Kazah National University in Almaty and BBC. During the visit the international team will assess the present media situation in Bayan-Olgii and conduct several training.
More information.
Bayan-Olgii has 100,000 residents and 30,000 live in the central town- Olgii. 93% are the Kazakhs. The remaining 7% are tuvas and urainhai, which are national minorities in the aimag and they speak their own languages.
Bayan-Olgii aimag has a Media Center, which runs the newspaper Jana Omir , radio and TV broadcasting in the Kazakh language. Newspaper Jana Omir comes out 3 times in 630 copies. Radio produces and transmits 420 minutes program a week and 180 minutes of TV programs are broadcasted a week. Technically it is able to cover the whole territory of Bayan-Olgii and radio can reach the Kazakh community in Semiplatinsk, Kazakhstan and Shinjaan, China, but the present situation does not allow to enjoy this possibility.
Bayan-Olgii Radio was established in 1965, the local TV of Bayan-Olgii was established in the beginning of the 1990s. The Parliament Resolution on the implementation of 1998 Media Freedom Law stated to transform Bayan-Olgii Radio station into the local branch of the Mongolian Radio and TV, but nothing has happened for 7 years, Bayan-Olgii Radio and TV remained as local government agency.
There are around 20 journalists working in the Media Center, but only 2 of them are professional journalists. Others came from other professions like literature teachers, former military officers and so on. There are 18 workers on Radio and no journalistic staff on TV.
The local Government of Bayan-Olgii finances the Media Center and it allocates 30 million MNT to every year. No money has been invested into new techniques and technologies due to shortage of aimag's budget. The head of Media Center is appointed by the local Government. On Bayan-Olgii Radio they have very old Hungarian equipment, the TV is running on VHS system and has only one camera.
There are small television stations in the soums. Besides the media outlets of Media Center there is an only private newspaper titled Olke Omiri, which comes out 3 times a month in 630 copies.
Mr. B.Zarkhum, Chief of Governor's office indicated that, the aimag authorities have been requested the budget for renovation from the Mongolian Government and they have promised many times, but no money was allocated. There is an urgent need for the short news program in Tuva and Uriankhai languages in order to provide the right of national minorities to access information.
According to the Law on the Public Radio and TV, the aimag authorities are planning to liberalize the local media and they do not know how to do it.
Accoridng to Mr. Huatai, chairman of the Bayan-Olgii branch of Confederation of Mongolian Journalists, training of Bayan-Olgii media practitioners is top issue there and they should be trained in producing. Technological investment is an urgent need.
Globe International has provided some educational materials on public service broadcasting and exchanged views on how to form the Board of Public Service Broadcasting in Bayan-Olgii aimag.