The TV stations managed by PanArmenian Media Group underwent structural changes at the start of 2015. CEO Armen Arzumanyan has a clear answer to those changes and the transformations in television in general in the near future. He suggests abandoning traditional terminology, since many concepts are completely outdated.

Working for many years in the TV industry, Arzumanyan concludes that television’s role in Armenian society is overestimated. “Perhaps I don’t have a right to say this as a manager, but really it’s like that. Television is only one of the ways to receive information and be entertained. There are also other, no less interesting ways.”

How can the reshuffling of the TV stations in the holding be described? 

At the moment, of the three TV stations, each has its own unique task. Armenia TV has to maintain its leading position in the television market but through reforms become a more socially responsible channel. 

ATV has to try to expand its influence, fully becoming a family TV station. In some sense, there is a vacancy for such a channel in our country.  

ArmNews is searching. It’s now moving from a purely news [station] to a youth, entertainment, and news TV station. In the Age of the Internet, television has to try to catch up. After all, straightforward journalism is not as interesting now as the online news stream, in which a person in a few seconds can gain insight (at least theoretically) of what’s happening in the world. In the case of television, the viewer is obliged to watch television at least for half an hour to get an understanding of the daily news. This is why television news all over the world is experiencing a crisis. ArmNews likewise is searching for its place.

Didn’t it manage to realize its place in these four years? After all, the channel was offering both news and entertainment in a single package, operating in the area of infotainment.

ArmNews, of course, occupied a certain position, but I think new ways of providing the news are needed. ArmNews was a type of ordinary 24-hour information channel, of which there are many in the world. But, as a rule, only large countries can have such channels. 

By appointing show business producer and director Hrach Keshishyan as ArmNews director, what do you currently expect from this channel? Don’t you see a problem that the license was given to a news channel, but its direction is changing?

As long as people want to watch television, we will try to become attractive for a younger audience. And we’ve asked Hrach Keshishyan to experiment, turning the channel into a youth, entertainment, and news [channel]. Naturally, the channel will operate within the limits of its license. Only the programs broadcast between the news programs will change. 

“TV stations are Armenia’s most open and transparent institutions. Their revenues are shown every day on air as advertising”

Let me put it this way: we will do everything for youth to begin watching the news. That’s our main wish, since a dire division in age emerged. Until then, everything in ArmNews was built around the news, but now the show business industry will be added. 

Isn’t the idea that young people are interested in show business outdated? Perhaps the political backstage is more attractive…?

Now there are a lot of websites that combine politics and show business, and the new management of ArmNews is faced with the task of using that experience. 

In general, I don’t consider the internet our competitor. It’s just a way of disseminating the media. After all, those who win are the creators and content producers. It’s been this way for all time. For instance, by and large, it doesn’t matter where Movses Khorenatsi wrote — online or parchment. What’s important is how quickly it’s delivered to people. 

The internet, television, radio, parchment, print books, and newspapers are simply means of disseminating information. In this sense, the internet can’t be a competitor, as it’s not a producer, but a tool, a route, through which content is shared. We are not fighting with the internet; we want to be there. And we’re quite happy that our products are in demand also on the internet. 

And when a, to put it mildly, not high-quality program or soap opera gets the most views, doesn’t it damage the channel’s image?

People like Coca-Cola and fast food. Now is that good or bad? If you’re the owner of McDonald’s, would you consider it damaging to your image?

What I mean is that a TV station (especially a private, commercial one) creates a product for mass consumption. Of course, the quality of the components and the beautiful and tasteful packaging is just as important, but, after all, it has to be a product that people will like and want to consume. 

Is there no intention to offer a more healthy product to the market? Say, not to follow the market but to shape demand.  

That is a bilateral process, where there is no contradiction. This is an artificial dispute, as the two sides interact with each other. Such a dispute could’ve been pursued in the 90s, when frequencies were limited, whereas now it’s not important how you deliver your product — by air or online. Everything is clear: produce quality content and deliver it to the audience.  

“Straightforward journalism is not as interesting now as the online news stream, in which a person in a few seconds can gain insight of what’s happening in the world”

Now people hear the news regardless of whether television reported it or not. I think, we have to try to change the questions to keep pace with modern times. 

Television is a business. By saying business, I don’t mean only money. Often, monetization is not as important as the ability to present, get a reputation, and expand the audience. 

Armenia TV, for example, is known in Armenia as having the best quality (full HD) image, which is a very important achievement. The channel produces the best comedy programs and soap operas. It’s now aspiring to be the leader in news. I’m sure that television will create a product for the majority. 

TV stations’ financial sources, as a rule, are confidential. It’s hard to find out by what means (political party, business) they survive, and thus, how those sources (even indirectly) influence content. Are the stations’ financial stations closed information?

TV stations are Armenia’s most open and transparent institutions. Their revenues are shown every day on air as advertising. And that which you see are TV stations’ financial sources and reports.

Only the advertising?

Yes, and it’s not chump change.  Armenia TV, for example, is the market leader and has huge advertising revenues (of course, in the context of Armenia’s economy). You can calculate the duration of commercials and picture how much the income is. The other assumptions are more so the result of stereotyped opinion. 

What will be the future of television?

A difficult future awaits traditional television all over the world. The internet is a much more convenient method of receiving information and being entertained for people and social groups having different educational levels. That which television did 20 years ago, the internet now does. And the viewer doesn’t know to whom to complain. If he didn’t like something on television, he knew who to contact. 

Now it’s not like that; the questions have changed. The role of television is overestimated. Any website that produces video is already a TV station and differs in no way from a channel with a broadcasting license. Even a license is an old concept, since 4–5 years later, I think, there won’t even be the need for it. 

Managers of TV stations all over the world see the drop in viewership every day and understand that if it continues like this, they won’t have viewers and one day they will disappear. Thus, they’re taking steps so this doesn’t happen; I’m sure, solutions will be found. The world’s leading TV companies have special institutions where they study how to face these challenges. The conclusion is as follows: it doesn’t matter where you watch (on the TV screen or on YouTube), what’s important is what you watch and who produced it. 

But in Armenia, fast internet doesn’t exist everywhere and it’s not so fast to watch video without buffering, while television with its beautiful and good-quality image enters people’s homes. 

When mobile operators entered the Armenian market in 1997, no one imagined that in a few years everyone would have mobile phones. This logic applies now too. The internet develops more quickly; thus, everyone without exception will have an internet connection in the near future. More than 700 people in Armenia access Facebook, which implies that at this moment, at least a quarter of our population has internet. And the speed increases day by day.   

“It doesn’t matter where Movses Khorenatsi wrote — online or parchment. What’s important is how quickly it’s delivered to people”

Both trends are developing: the internet is becoming faster, and television is able to transfer images a little faster. 

You mentioned that Armenia TV’s social responsibility will increase. How?

For example, we pay a lot of attention to the “Every Armenian, One Entry” Wikipedia project, which we had a significant role in establishing and achieved major results. The number of Armenian-language entries now has drastically increased; we are the leader in the region. 

We implemented (and continue to implement) a program supporting Syrian-Armenians, in which we produced and broadcast videos and reportages on small businesses or services founded by Syrian-Armenians. After all, charity work is not only distributing free food, but also helping people to get on their feet and settle in a new environment. The channel also has produced and broadcast PSAs within the framework of the fight against domestic violence. 

A virtual encyclopedia in Armenian is very timely. Isn’t there a need to stop broadcasting films in Russian?

Broadcasting films in Russian has a few explanations. There are ethnic minorities, for whom likewise there should be broadcasting. 

That’s an explanation?

It’s one of the explanations. In the West, for example, films are shown in their original language with subtitles. I agree, perhaps that’s what we should do. We have to try.

Interview by Nune Hakhverdyan.