A signal of seven Ukrainian radio-broadcasting stations in 20 settlements of the Northern Crimea is blacked out by a signal of Russian FM radio stations.
This is an outcome of the Crimean Human Rights Group (CHRG) monitoring held in March – April 2019.
The CHRG monitors checked 13 broadcast frequencies of 7 Ukrainian radio stations granted a permission of the National TV and Radio Broadcasting Council to broadcast on the territory of the Northern Crimean from settlements of Chongar and Chaplynka controlled by Ukraine and located close to the administrative border.
The monitoring was carried out with car audio units in the settlements of Northern Crimea located in the vicinity of Chaplynka Check Point.
20 settlements were monitored: Nadezhyno. Krasnoarmeyskoye, Vishnevka, Krepkoye, Tankovoye, Proletarka, Krasnoperekopsk, Sovkhoznoye, Tavricheskoye, Risovoye, Pochetnoye, Perekop, Armiansk, Suvorovo, Piatikhatka, Karpova Balka, Filatovka, Ishun’, Tomashevka, Voinka.
As reported by Mr Sergey Kostinsky, a National TV and Radio Broadcasting Council representative, the National Council has licensed and allowed seven radio broadcasters to broadcast temporarily through a radio tower mounted in the settlement of Chaplynka.
★ ARMIA FM 96 MHz
★ KRYM REALII RADIO 98.6 MHz
★ NV RADIO 99.8 MHz
★ PROMIN’ UA RADIO (NSTU[1]) 106.4 MHz
★ Meydan FM 102.3 MHz
★ PERETS FM, STIL’NOYE 96.4 FM
★ KULTURA UA RADIO (NSTU) 95.3
The monitoring outcomes showed that as at early April 2019 the signal of two of these stations, and only in two settlements of 20 checked, was picked up at seven frequencies.
This being said, the Russian SPUTNIK v KRYMU radio is heard at Meydan FM 102.3 MHz frequency in 17 settlements.
There is no signal in all 20 settlements at the KRYM REALII RADIO 98.6 MHz frequency.
There is no signal at ARMIA FM 96 MHz frequency.
PERETS FM at 96.4 FM is heard only in one settlement of 20, with the Russian MORE Radio broadcasting at this frequency in 18 settlements.
There is no signal at NV RADIO 99.8 MHz frequency.
KULTURA Radio is heard only in 2 settlements of 20, with the Russian KRYM Radio broadcasting at this frequency in 17 settlements from the monitoring list.
At 106.4 MHz frequency the VATAN SEDASY radio controlled by the occupation authorities is heard in 19 settlements instead of the PROMIN’ Radio, with no signal at all in one settlement.
The signal of these Ukrainian radio broadcasting stations in these settlements is also blocked on other frequencies granted to them for broadcasting from Chongar.
ARMIA FM Radio is heard at these frequencies in 3 settlements, while the Russian KRYM Radio is heard in 17.
KRYM. REALII Radio, at the frequency for broadcasting from Chongar, is heard in 4 settlements of 20, with the Russian VESTI FM Radio broadcasting at this frequency in 16.
The MEYDAN Radio at the frequency the station was granted to broadcast from Chongar Radio Tower is heard jammed only in one settlement, with the signal of the Russian KRYM Radio broadcasted in other 19 settlements at this frequency.
NV RADIO at the Chongar broadcasting frequency is heard in 8 settlements from the list, with the Russian MORE radio blacking out its signal in other 12.
PERETS FM Radio is heard in 4 settlements at the frequency granted to broadcast from Kherson.
And in all 20 settlements the Russian VESTI FM radio is broadcast instead of PROMIN’ Radio at the Chongar broadcasting frequency.
Based on the monitoring outcomes, one may conclude that the Crimean occupation authorities have been blacking out deliberately the signal of Ukrainian broadcasters through, inter alia, switching the Russian radio stations at the same frequencies.
We would remind that in November 2018 the Crimean Human Rights Group monitored already the broadcasting of Ukrainian radio stations in Crimea. That time broadcasting of radio stations in 13 settlements at 8 frequencies was checked. The monitoring also confirmed a consistent blocking of the Ukrainian radio signal in Crimea by switching the Russian FM stations at these frequencies.
[1] National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine
