Today, 16 January, the National TV and Radio Council (NTRC) conducted a closed meeting.
According to “ANS PRESS” and “Lent.az” websites, during the meeting the NTRC’s 11 January 2008 and 30 December 2008 decision regarding use of the national language were discussed.
“AZTV” broadcast programs without subtitles, “Lider” TV broadcast a Russian Drama Theater program and Turkish and Russian soap operas without Azeri language voiceovers and “Space” TV also broadcasts foreign soap operas without appropriate language voiceovers.
During the initial execution of the NTRC decision “On the duties to further improve the use of the state language by TV and radio broadcasters” the channels were given some leeway, because it was discovered that some TV channels do not have studios for doing voiceovers. However, on 14 January NTRC Chairman’s Assistant Togrul Mammedov spoke with the heads of broadcasting companies and it was decided that after that date all broadcast programming would comply entirely with the decision. According to Mammedov, at present working is being carried out to achieve this.