Alikhan Toktarov named chairman of IradOne

TALAS — Governor Erlan Toktarov yesterday appointed his son Alikhan Toktarov, 34, chairman of the executive board of IradOne, the state broadcaster, according to a decree published by the Department of Public Information.

Alikhan Toktarov, the Governor's second son, heads the Steppe Luxury Group, which holds regional import rights for European cars, Swiss watches and American electronics and has developed office and hotel projects on the central avenue of Talas. He studied business in Bishkek and media and management at Regent's College in London. He has not previously held a post in broadcasting.

IradOne was created as a public corporation under the Public Broadcasting Act of 1993. Its board is appointed by the Governor, and since 2007 the corporation has been supervised by the Department of Public Information. It launched the Russian-language channel IradOdin in 2009 and began this year to move from analog to digital terrestrial transmission. A DPI spokesman said the new chairman had been chosen for his commercial experience and would lead the broadcaster's modernization. Opposition commentators said the appointment placed the main broadcaster in the hands of the Governor's family. The new chairman made no public statement yesterday.