06-11-2007

Launch of new Polish TV channel aimed at Belarus set for Dec. 10

By

    Public broadcaster TVP (www.tvp.pl) is completing preparations for the launch Dec. 10 of its first foreign channel, TV Belarus. TV Belarus will beam by satellite 15 hours of daily independent programming into the former Soviet satellite country.

    The programming will include documentaries, some of them specifically produced by TVP for the new channel, such as a special on the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, according to the Polish website Stopklatka.pl. A series called "Who's Who in Belarus" will profile activists who in many cases oppose the autocratic regime of Alexander Lukashenko.

    The Polish government set aside 16 million zloties €4.3 million this year for the launch, which has been postponed from the original launch date of Oct. 15.