Romania's National Audiovisual Council rejects license request for Iasi-based TV station RTR amid suspicions of links to Russian state propaganda

The National Audiovisual Council (CNA) rejected on Tuesday a request from Iasi-based companyTelecontent Production companin Iasi for the RTR TV channel, after postponing a decision in this matter in August, as representatives of the audiovisual forum said for HotNews.ro.

Two months ago, the Romanian edition of Forbes reported that this company was owned by Chisinau, Republic of Moldova -based TV Content SRL, the owner of a Moldovan station which broadcasts the programs of the Russian state television Rossiya 1. The RTR situation raised suspicions about a possible attempt of the Russian propaganda to enter Romanian broadcasting, via Iasi.

According to CNA representatives contacted by HotNews.ro, no member of Council supported granting the license requested by Telecontent Production SRL for RTR Iasi.

For the RTR TV license, Telecontent initially presented itself to the National Audiovisual Council in August, but the forum postponed a decision in this regard. At the time, Forbes wrote that the company from Iasi supporting the RTR project is owned by TV Content SRL in Chisinau. This is in turn owned by Evghenii Sergeev and Victor Stetco (50% each) and operates in the Republic of Moldova the station RTR Moldova, which re-broadcasts the programs of the Russian state television Rossiya 1.