Not lengthy after Russia steamrolled into South Ossetia in 2008, successfully annexing the territory of its southern neighbor, a gaggle of Georgians banded collectively to arrange a brand new Russian-language tv station, a voice unbiased of the Kremlin: Kanal PIK.
With the assistance of Georgia’s public broadcaster, they signed a five-year cope with French satellite tv for pc operator Eutelsat to beam their station into the Caucasus. Simply two weeks after they launched in 2010, Eutelsat notified PIK that they have been dropped. Their house on the satellite tv for pc had been promised to Gazprom Media Group, a chief pillar in Moscow’s tightly managed media system.
Kanal PIK stated in a press release on the time that the saga “leaves Intersputnik and Gazprom Media Group—each of which adhere to the Kremlin’s editorial line—with a de facto satellite tv for pc transmission monopoly over Russian-language viewers.” Kanal PIK would purchase a spot on one other Eutelsat a yr later, however the station struggled and went darkish in 2012.
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