The Russian TV station TVS is likely to stop broadcasting on Monday, Editor in Chief Evgeniy Kiselev said yesterday. The main reason- a lack of money. According to Mr Kiselev, from Monday 2nd June all that the 6th channel will show is a black screen. He added "Well, perhaps not enitrly black, we might be able to manage an apology to our vierwes..." The news section of their broadcast schedule is most under threat, he continued, "due to their inherent dependance on technical staff. If their colleagues refuse to work- and they would be well within their rights to do so, as they have not been paid for months, then there will simply be no news broadcast" Explaining this issue of non payment of wages, Mr Kiselev said " That is a matter for the shareholders and accountants. We were promised a monthly payment to our account to pay our wages. But for some reason or other this obligation has never been fulfilled." Mr Kiselev has said that now the fate of this TV station depends on the Kremlin, and in paricular Mr Putin.

For those not up to speed with this: TVS was the station created by some of the journalists that left NTV when the political pressure from the Kremlin, Putin and pro government companies threatened their independance, especially with regard to current affairs reporting. What a surprise, that now events have resulted in this still marginally independant station being dependant on the powers that be for its survival. What a surprise that, somehow, the money could not be found. This is a TV station that has resisted the all-pervasive trends in current Russian media to self censorship, to pandering to Kremlin officials and blindly following party line on issues such as Chechnya. This is the station that first spoke about the investigative documentary into the Moscow Appartment Bombings that implicated Putin and the FSB. This is the station that runs a regular feature on Chechnya when there is a media blackout everywhere else. this is the station that was most critical of the Government handling of the theatre seige. This is the TV station that ignored a Government instruction to only show clips of Putin and Russia's olympic team where Putin was taller, yes folks, taller, than the athletes. Need I say more?