TV Company TRK Peterburg Disowns Owners

<BR>OAO TRK (Television and Radio Company) Peterburg, which has no commercial shareholders, and was founded by two state organisations - the city of St Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast - has suddenly ceased to be a state company, and changed its shareholders. At least, this is what managers at the television station claim. This interesting nuance in the ownership of the largest city television company emerged during a fight for air time by State Duma deputies for the city and oblast. The problem started when deputies demanded air time, based on the Deputy Status Law, which stipulates that deputies should be able to make addresses through state regional television and radio for at least seven minutes, at least once per month. The TV company's general director, Irina Prudnikova, proposed that the deputies do this on a commercial basis, as the company is allegedly not a state organisation. In turn, the chairman of the company's board of directors, Aleksandr Potekhin, practising sophistry, wrote: "The mass medium TRK Peterburg is not a state organisation, as OAO TRK Peterburg is acting as its founder." Deputies are not planning to accept that sudden change of founder without a fight: "Suddenly we learn that the TRK was not founded by St Petersburg, but by some OAO," says State Duma Deputy Aleksandr Shishlov. "We are carefully studying all the documentation," says Shishlov, "and if necessary, we will make changes to Federal legislation. But to let some group of people seize the right to decide what is required and what isn't; we won't let that happen!" Legislative Assembly Deputy Leonid Romankov was more pessimistic: "Potekhin will do everything he can, but the TV channel will not give up until after the elections."