The National Commission on Television and Radio (NCTR) has further revealed a decision announced last week aimed to clean up Armenia’s TV airwaves.

Beginning next month films and television programs deemed inappropriate for minors will be restricted to broadcast only between midnight and 6 a.m. (Currently, TV stations are allowed to broadcast at their own discretion.)

NCTR Chairman Grigor Amalyan, commenting on various comments and criticism on those criteria published in the Armenian press, told journalists today that the commission does not intend to ban any TV program or film.

“Our aim is to move those programs and films to such hours, when the minors are sleeping. I do not believe that the criteria are too extreme or too coward,” Amalyan says.

The draft is included in Article 24 of Armenia’s Law “On Television and Radio”. The amendments to the law are on the agenda of the National Assembly’s spring session that opened on February 1. A working group of 20 has been set up at the NCTR to elaborate the draft criteria.

At the end of this week, the soap operas called ‘Vorber’ (Orphans) and ‘Vorogayt’ (Trap), correspondingly broadcast on the Armenian Public Television and ‘Shant’ TV, having numerous scenes of violence and murders, will conclude. Many immediately tied their sudden end with the criteria, but, Amalyan says that TV companies may keep on broadcasting their serials that are commercially profitable; however, they must make some changes in their screenplays.

“Unlike press, TV companies have not expressed dissatisfaction of criticism about the criteria. It seems, that everybody understands that the TV airwaves, indeed, needs some corrections,” Amalyan says.

He also stated that control over TV broadcasts will be difficult to monitor, saying the commission does not have necessary equipment nor funds to buy it. For those reasons, the commission will consider complaints and appeals received from TV viewers.