The Georgian Public Broadcaster’s (GPB) Board of Trustees meeting, held at the First Channel’s new premises, lasted over four hours.

In attendance were members of the Board of Trustees, representatives from the ongoing protest at the GPB First Channel, and several of the channel’s employees.

During the marathon meeting, some GPB employees and members of the initiative group called for the management’s resignation, citing inadequate coverage of the current situation in the country by the Public Broadcaster.

Questions were raised regarding the channel’s editorial policy, with expressions of dissatisfaction over the insufficient coverage of protests. The critics reiterated their demand for the reinstatement of the evening special broadcast.

In response to these demands, the management asserted that the channel operates at a high standard, providing neutral coverage of events. The Director General cited the conclusion of the OSCE/ODIHR and internal monitoring data as evidence to support this claim.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees also addressed the accusations, and a willingness to hold future meetings was expressed during the session.

Regarding the initiative group’s demand for allocated airtime on the GPB First Channel for guests of their choice, the management deemed this an attempt to compromise the channel’s editorial independence. They stated that the channel would continue to select its guests independently, without external influence.