You're reading: Newspaper: Russia’s Public Television could go online in May 2013

MOSCOW - Russia's Public Television could go online several months beyond the initially set date of January 1, 2013, due to purely technical reasons, the daily Kommersant writes on Thursday.

Details were provided to the newspaper by Anatoly Lysenko, the
Russian Public Television’s general director, who was appointed to this
post by President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

“The official date is January 1. But I doubt the schedule will be
met. The reasons are purely organizational and technical.
Technologically, this television channel could go online in May 2013,”
Lysenko said.

There is no clarity thus far how the channel will work. Under initial
plans it was to be based on Zvezda television, owned by the Defense
Ministry. But the military is in no haste to surrender this television
channel, the newspaper writes.

No other frequency is being considered, except Zvezda’s, Lysenko
said. “The simple reason is no new frequency exists. The choice remains
unchanged,” he said.

Lysenko did not comment on who will be invited to join the team, or
when the television channel’s supervisory council could be formed