BBC And Deutsche Welle Off The Air In Russia

Both radio stations lost their ability to broadcast in Moscow (RFE/RL) 22 December 2005 -- Britain's BBC radio and Germany's Deutsche Welle radio say they have both stopped medium-wave transmissions in Russia after the Russian authorities took away their radio frequencies.

Konstantin Eggert, Moscow bureau editor for the BBC's Russian service, said the local company which broadcasts the corporation's programmes had lost its license, causing the BBC to lose its medium wave transmission in the Russian capital.

The editor in chief of Deutsche Welle radio, Miodrag Soric, said he faced a similar problem. In Berlin, the German Foreign Ministry said it was conducting intensive talks with the Russian authorities to get Deutsche Welle back on the air as soon as possible.

(dpa/Reuters)