Ownership reshuffle will not change Maestro impartiality

Fashion designer Maka Asatiani has become an official partner of Maestro TV. According to the information released by the Civil Registry Agency (CRA), Asatiani purchased 25% from Gia Gachechiladze’s shares. Gachechiladze, known by the nickname 'Utsnobi' controlled 50% of the station's shares. Erosi Kitsmarishvili, Political Secretary of the Georgian Party who is also the owner of Maestro TV’s managing company, confirmed the news without giving detailed information about the deal. “I know just exactly the same as you do,” he told the media on Monday. “I have no additional information about this issue because I’ve heard about this news from TV,” he explained.

According to the CRA database, Asatiani bought the shares for GEL 300 000. There has been speculation among the media as to whether her husband’s political orientation would have an influence on the channel. Businessman Kote Gogelia who made money in Moscow has recently joined the Georgian Party. As Kitsmarishvili told the media “Kote Gogelia is one of the strongest leaders of the party who has been actively engaged in political processes in Georgia and his engagement in the party’s activities has been carried out in legal frames.”

Maestro TV will have 6 stakeholders from now on: Eka Akobia with 5% of shares; Mamuka Glonti, Levan Chikvaidze and Giorgi Ebralidze with 15% each; Giorgi Gachechiladze and Maka Asatiani – with 25-25%. The company’s co-founders claimed they had been aware of the possible deal and didn’t oppose Utsnobi’s decision. Stressing that they don’t feel uncomfortable due to Utsnobi’s deal, Akobia and Chkhaidze spoke of the possible financial benefits from such a step.

Stressing that Utsnobi had familiarized his partners with his decision, Eka Akobia said the preliminary agreement didn’t obstruct Gachechiladze from selling any of his shares. Counting on both the financial and creative benefit of the deal, Akobia said that they had all been informed about Gachechiladze’s decision. On the question of whether Maestro TV would be impartial from the Georgian Party’s political bias she explained that there would be no danger as Asatiani only owns 25% of shares and does not have full control.

Claiming that no political bias will be reflected on Maestro TV from any of its stakeholders, Levan Chikvaidze said they were promised by Gachechiladze that the channel would continue following the same policy as before and “remain independent and impartial.”

Analyst Gia Khukhashvili explained to The Messenger that having 25% of shares can’t have any influence on any television station “while the national TVs with 80-90% of coverage have been seriously influenced by the ruling United National Movement (UNM).” “I can’t talk of this bargain as a political decision because Maka Asatiani is not a political figure. I think it was more likely a loving husband’s present to his wife,” Khukhashvili told us.

Worrying of the wrecked media environment in our country the analyst disapproved the scandals around the TV companies and wished there was no such chaos in the media. “Unfortunately there is one single television station in our country like Kavkasia which has successfully kept its original format so far,” Khukhashvili stated.