NATPE Banning Russian Companies from Upcoming Sales Market

NATPE Virtual: News Television
(Image credit: NATPE)

NATPE, which represents programming and media executives, said it will be banning Russian companies from its NATPE Budapest International TV sales marketplace scheduled for June 27-30 at the InterContinental Hotel in Budapest, Hungary, a neighbor of Ukraine, which is currently under siege from Russian forces in an unprovoked attack.

"The Ukrainian people have our full support over the barbaric and horrific invasion of their homeland by the brutal dictator Putin and his surrogates," the association said in a statement Tuesday (March 1). "We wish we could provide more tangible assistance, but what we can do is join the world community and prevent Russian presence from conducting commerce."

Also: MPA Condemns Russian Invasion

"We pray for the Ukrainian people and hope they continue their battle to an ultimate victory for their great, independent country."

The National Association of Broadcasters Tuesday urged broadcast programmers to pull the plug on any Russian state-sponsored programming, saying that while it backed free speech, it also backed private actors exercising sound moral judgment. ■

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.