New NTV management appeals for dialogue with company journalists

Alfred Kokh, the new chairman of the board of directors of Russia's NTV television, has appealed to journalists to begin a dialogue and halt their protests.

In an open letter to company staff, Kokh has described as "false affectedness" what is being done by company journalists who refuse to recognise the new management. As seen by Kokh, Leonid Parfenov, one of NTV ace reporters, who on Friday decided to quit the company, did this because he "could not physically bear" what NTV journalists have been doing these past few days. The head of the board has urged journalists to realise that no one was fighting them. "What is sought is a dialogue with you. We are all painfully thinking of how to help you can get out of this situation without losing your face", the message says.