VZCZCXRO4902
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #1179/01 3050628
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010628Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9627
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0743
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0619
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 2923
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1196
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1854
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001179 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; SCA/PPD, ECA, IIP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PROP SCUL KPAO TX
SUBJECT:  TURKMENISTAN:  POSITIVE TRENDS IN STATE MEDIA ENVIRONMENT 
- RECENT MEDIA REACTION 
 
REF: ASHGABAT 1108 
 
¶1.  (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY: October's state media coverage of U.S. embassy 
events showed further improvement and suggests Turkmenistan is 
moving away from the exclusive cult-of-personality policies of the 
former President Niyazov era.  In Turkmenistan, October is a month 
filled with media coverage of grand openings and events leading up 
to the climax of Independence Day on the 27th.  In comparison to 
years past, the Embassy had unexpected success at gaining coverage. 
There was the usual recording of anodyne congratulatory remarks from 
foreign Ambassadors, but this year the Charge's substantive comments 
were covered more accurately and re-broadcast several times.  The 
visit of the U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE, Julie Finley, was covered 
as a matter of routine.  For once, state media assisted in 
attracting an audience to a planned Embassy event, a movie festival. 
 And the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) received 
outstanding coverage in the days just before and after Independence 
Day - a marked contrast to last year.  The recent variation and even 
mild competition in different state media outlets' approaches might 
signal a slight decentralization of decision-making over content and 
presentation.  END SUMMARY. 
 
STATE TV GIVES ALMOST PERFECT TRANSLATION OF CHARGE'S INDEPENDENCE 
DAY REMARKS, BUT WITH VARYING APPROACHES 
 
¶3.  (SBU) On October 25, state "Turkmenistan" TV Channel aired the 
Charge's remarks, in which he answered broad questions from the TV 
interviewer related to progress under President Berdimuhamedov.  In 
his answers, the Charge underlined that the United States was 
especially pleased with the Turkmen president's commitment to 
improving human rights in the country and noted the relaxing of 
travel restrictions and the pardoning of some "politically important 
prisoners" as earl important steps.  State TV omitted the remark 
about the release of prisoners in translation and actually cut the 
original English audio and video for this moment.  All other 
comments on reform in the country were appropriately translated and 
broadcast.  The TV Channel re-broadcast the interview several times 
throughout the day and again on October 28 and 29.  (NOTE: The 
Charge's remarks in 2006 were not repeatedly broadcast.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶4.  (U) On October 27, state "Altyn Asyr" channel aired the Charge's 
more formal but still substantive Independence Day message near 
midnight.  The TV channel also gave a generally accurate translation 
of the message in Turkmen which emphasized many of the positive 
political reforms.  These two different approaches to airing the 
official Independence Day messages however, is itself a sign of 
varying approaches among state media outlets. 
 
MAJOR MEDIA 'COUP' FOR THE EMBASSY:  U.S. CULTURAL PRESERVATION 
PRAISED, AGAIN AND AGAIN 
 
¶5.  (U) On October 22, The U.S. Embassy held an award ceremony to 
honor the winners of the 2007 Ambassador's Fund for Cultural 
Preservation (AFCP) grants at the National Institute of Manuscripts 
and received broad and accurate coverage on three of four state TV 
channels: "Miras," "Altyn Asyr," and "Turmenistan."  The TV channels 
recognized the U.S. support for preservation of historical monuments 
and the cultural heritage of Turkmenistan.  (NOTE:  Last year, state 
media entirely ignored a similar ceremony held during the same 
timeframe.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶6.  (U) The different TV channels sent their own crews and appeared 
to be in competition for interviews.  (NOTE:  In past practice, 
there would be almost a pool, where one state TV crew would film its 
own video and share with others.  END NOTE.)  Interviews with the 
Charge, Public Affairs Officer, and with several representatives of 
grantee agencies appeared on all three channels.  Each TV channel 
presented different video coverage on the event, but all of them 
used Embassy-provided background notes, heavily drew from the 
 
ASHGABAT 00001179  002 OF 002 
 
 
Embassy's press release, and presented a favorable image of U.S. 
support for cultural preservation. 
 
¶7.  (U) Additionally, all three TV channels prominently featured a 
recently published SCA bureau booklet on AFCP sites throughout the 
region, in no small part because Turkmenistan's Ak-Saray Ding Tower 
was featured on the booklet's cover.  "Turkmenistan" channel 
re-broadcast its coverage multiple times before and after 
Independence Day.  One channel commented that the AFCP grants and 
the SCA booklet were an Independence Day gift to Turkmenistan. 
 
STATE PRINT MEDIA COVER AMERICAN MOVIE FESTIVAL OPENING 
 
¶8.  (U) On October 9, state dailies "Neutral Turkmenistan" (Russian, 
circ. 39,721) and "Turkmenistan" (Turkmen, circ. 28, 289) carried an 
article about the American Movie Festival, "Discover America."  The 
articles accurately gave information on presented movies and 
background about the festival's opening night, but gave no details 
on movie screening dates and time.  Despite this, many attendees at 
subsequent showings learned about the festival from the newspapers 
and were able to attend due to electronic media coverage.  The 
newspaper articles emphasized that at the opening the Charge noted 
the event's importance as part of the improving friendship between 
Turkmenistan and the United States.  The text of the articles 
heavily drew from an Embassy press release on the event. 
 
STATE MEDIA CARRY "ROUTINE" COVERAGE OF AMBASSADOR FINLEY'S VISIT 
 
¶9.  (U) On October 20, State "Watan" TV news program announced the 
official visit of U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE Julie Finley and gave 
details of her planned schedule in the country.  On October 22, 
state dailies "Neutral Turkmenistan" (Russian, circ. 39,721) and 
"Turkmenistan" (Turkmen, circ. 29,091) printed the text of "Watan" 
TV news report from October 20.  The same day, the "Watan" TV news 
program aired follow-up coverage of the visit, which included brief 
video from Finley's meetings with representatives of Turkmenistan's 
Government.  Coverage of U.S. VIP visits such as this has become a 
matter of routine in recent few months (reftel). 
 
¶10.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Following President Berdimuhamedov's visit to 
the UN in New York, state media have been more and more cooperative 
in covering Embassy events and visitors.  They have started to use 
Embassy press releases and information in a more consitent and 
thorough manner.  They have also dedicated significant air time for 
coverage of Embassy events during a period normally filled with 
official Independence Day ceremonies.  The variation and even mild 
competition in different state media outlets' approaches also signal 
a slight decentralization of decision-making over content.  END 
COMMENT. 
HOAGLAND