Established in 2013, Adjara TV and Radio Company provides services to the eastern region of Georgia, specifically the autonomous republic of Adjara.
Media assets
Television: Adjara TV
Radio: Adjara Radio
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
Adjara TV, while officially a part of the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB), operated as an independent legal entity with its own management. The station was overseen by a Council of Advisors, consisting of five members. Three of these members were appointed by the ruling party, while the opposition selected the other two.
However, in June 2023, the Georgian parliament passed new legislation that dissolved this advisory board, bringing Adjara TV under the control of the Georgian Public Broadcaster. Vasil Maghlaperidze, a former deputy chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, heads this entity. Consequently, Adjara is now represented by three members on the Board of Trustees of the Georgian Public Broadcaster, all of whom are appointed by the Adjaran government.
Source of funding and budget
Adjara TV is funded by a portion of GPB’s budget. By law, a minimum of 15% of GPB’s budget must be allocated to Adjara TV.
Editorial independence
Contrary to government-imposed regulations, Adjara TV operates with complete editorial independence. This public broadcaster has earned acclaim for its autonomy, with its management receiving backing from local media rights groups.
However, in recent years, the ruling party has ramped up its attempts to exert influence over Adjara TV. In a controversial move in April 2019, the party impeached Natia Kapanadze, the director of Adjara TV, which drew severe criticism from international organizations. The Coalition for Media Advocacy, a consortium of local media watchdogs, claimed that journalists at Adjara TV are consistently persecuted for expressing their opinions.
While Adjara TV operates under a Code of Conduct that outlines guiding principles such as editorial independence, fairness, impartiality, and a commitment to ethnic, cultural, linguistic, religious, age, and gender diversity, these principles are not consistently upheld.
Aside from the Public Board of GPB, there is no independent evaluation or oversight mechanism that verifies Adjara TV’s editorial independence.
August 2024