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The Media in Georgia is relatively accessible and caters to a wide variety of audiences. A large percentage of households have a television, and most have at least one radio. The large majority of Georgia’s media companies (including television, newspaper and radio) are headquartered in Tbilisi.
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There is one media outlet which is publicly funded: the Public Broadcasting Channel. The service broadcasts on free-to-air television and radio.
One of the most popular networks is Rustavi 2 which gained considerable fame after its coverage of the Rose Revolution. The station currently reaches around 84% of the country's population, as well as Europe, the European part of Russia and the Middle East via satellite. The station was long seen as a thorn in the side of the Eduard Shevardnadze government, frequently reporting on corruption and human rights abuses. In 2001 a security police raid on Rustavi 2 resulted in mass street demonstrations against governments pressure - causing Eduard Shevardnadze to fire his entire cabinet.
The largest competitor to Rustavi 2 comes in the form of Imedi TV. Rustavi 2 is regarded as a mouthpiece of the Saakashvili government;[1] for example, Rustavi had exclusive access to interview Georgian troops in Iraq. By contrast, Imedi TV has found an increasingly independent voice. The station was the first to break the investigation into Sandro Girgvliani's murder, allegedly arousing anger amongst the President's administration. The station is owned in part by Badri Patarkatsishvili, a media tycoon, and Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. A preliminary agreement on the purchase of Imedi Holding’s shares was signed in New York on April 28, details of which remain confidential.
Last reports says that rating of Imedi TV is higher than Rustavi 2.
The final national player is Mze which was purchased by Rustavi 2 in late 2005. The channel has suffered poor ratings, and is largely expected to be turned into an entertainment network. Its widely reported that TV Station is controlled by the Government. The rest of Mze is owned by David Bejuashvili, oriented Georgian MP, brother of Gela Bejuashvili who is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, formerly the Intelligence Chief.[2]
Whilst the authorities finance some publications, there are some 200 privately owned newspapers. Most of these are based in Tbilisi, which is home to a number of newspaper publishing houses. Some of the most noteworthy Georgian newspapers include the daily 24 Saati (24 Hours), Rezonansi (Resonance), Alia, Akhali Taoba, and English-language newspapers Georgian Messenger, The FINANCIAL (weekly), Georgia Today (weekly), The Georgian Times (weekly).
Out of the city’s radio stations Imedi Radio (105.9FM), Fortuna, and Radio 105 are some of the more influential competitors with large national audiences. Imedi mainly concentrates on news and analytical coverage but broadcasts pop music as well, particularly at night-time.
According to Reporters Without Borders in 2005, Georgia is in 89th position on a list of countries ranked by Press Freedom; behind Moldova (85th) and Mongolia (86th) - both countries deemed to be in transition to Democracy from Communism. This ranking is primarily due to the limited diversity in media ownership, and self-censorship. However concerns over governmental censorship have emerged.
During the Sandro Girgvliani Murder Case the influential media tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili, owner of Imedi, stated that the Georgian authorities were mounting pressure on his station and other businesses after it had broadcast details of the scandal. "It is no secret that Imedi television was the first one which reported the circumstances of Sandro Girgvliani’s murder...this alone became a reason for the authorities’ dissatisfaction, which triggered the financial authorities to actively launch a probe into my businesses and my companies so [as] to force me to mount pressure against [my] journalists..and facilitate the creation of a favorable image of the authorities," Badri Patarkatsishvili went on to say that he would never yield to pressure from the authorities.
In addition, on July 6 Eka Khoperia, an anchor with Rustavi 2, announced during her live program that she was resigning, after refusing to follow instructions from the authorities.