Due to financial difficulties, the “Formula” television company is changing its broadcasting schedule and reducing its staff. This was announced on the evening of July 5 by the channel’s director, Misha Mshvildadze, during the weekly wrap-up show. He stated that optimization is necessary for the channel to survive the financial crisis and continue broadcasting: “This will be the response to what ‘Formula’ has faced as a result of the government’s major efforts. This is very heavy news, especially for a television station; all of our employees are already like brothers-in-arms. This was not a regular path that this media outlet took—it was an outright battle.”
On July 6, the early morning show did not air. Broadcasting began at 12:00 PM with a modified program called “Gamarjoba Sakartvelo” (Hello Georgia). The host of this show, Irakli Kiknavelidze, stated that “Formula” employees have been working without salaries for months: “For a long time now, we, the employees of ‘Formula’, haven’t known what it means to receive timely and full compensation, but we still manage to do this job in a way that hasn’t affected our ratings—quite the opposite, actually. ‘Formula’ must survive! This broadcast must not go dark! This is our goal, and based on this goal, we are ready to accept any painful decision.”
