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Duma to look into situation around Top Secret TV said to be closed

Top Secret television began broadcasts for pay via satellite and cable television network in October 2006

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, October 9 (Itar-Tass) —— The State Duma Committee on Information Politics will look into the situation around the Top Secret television channel reported to be closed, Committee Chairman Alexei Mitrofanov told a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday.

"I was surprised to hear that the TV channel was being closed. I am one of its active audiences. Let us see what is going on; no one has complained to us yet," Mitrofanov said." It is not a bad channel, we respect its founders with whom I was acquainted personally. Naturally, we will look into the matter, see what is going and what exactly they have against the channel," Mitrofanov said.

Earlier reports said that Rostelecom- an operator of cable broadcasting, intended to break off a contract with the TV channel Top Secret, valid until the end of 2014, ahead of term.

Breaking contract relations with the Top Secret TV company presupposes convenient terms and conditions for both sides, Rostelecom assured. The resolution to break off the contract was connected with the optimization of the Rostelecom expenditures, Rostelecom said.

President of the Top Secret Holding Veronika Borovik-Khilchevskaya said that the problem was that"no one wanted to sit down at the negotiating table with representatives of the Top Secret company. " It is wrong if a contract is broken off without explaining the reasons. We are prepared to talk and discuss," she said.

Top Secret television began broadcasts for pay via satellite and cable television network in October 2006. At present, the Top Secret's audiences number around 15 million all in all - including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Russian regions, the CIS, the Baltic states and Israel.

The Top Secret TV channel was founded by prominent journalist Artyom Borovik in 1991 and it gained broad popularity due to the Top Secret television project which was the first ever program on Russian television made in the form of a journalist's investigation.

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