Yoshlar

Yoshlar, whose name means “Youth” in Uzbek, is a television channel in Uzbekistan operated within the country’s National Television and Radio Company. It is directed chiefly toward younger viewers and combines entertainment, news, cultural material, educational programming, music, concerts, and programs addressing children and adolescents. The channel is distinct from the more general Uzbek national television services because its identity is built around youth culture, civic education, national history, and programming intended to shape the outlook of younger audiences. The channel emerged in its present form in 1998, although its broadcast frequency had earlier been used by Uzbekistan’s second television service, commonly known as TV2 during the early independence period. Before Yoshlar’s creation, the service also carried programs produced by the Toshkent studio. In July 1998, Uzbek state television announced that a new youth channel would begin broadcasting on September 1 using TV2 frequencies. It initially transmitted for approximately six hours per day and subsequently expanded toward a sixteen-hour daily schedule. Its establishment followed Resolution No. 130 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan and was associated with a state cultural and educational objective for young people. At launch, the schedule included news, historical and patriotic programming, children’s content, educational features, music, concerts, and programs about Uzbekistan’s cultural heritage. Among the early programs identified in published descriptions were Davr, the channel’s news service, as well as Gratitude, The Magnificence of Independence, Today’s Child, Tamerlane the Great, I Am the Son of a Great Land, Classmate, and On the Great Silk Road. The opening schedule also featured performances by Uzbek and international musicians. Davr was initially broadcast at 7 p.m., while weekday and weekend schedules extended into the late evening and early morning. Yoshlar gradually broadened its reach. In 1999, selected Yoshlar programming became available through Karakalpak television, and the related Yoshlar Radio service was launched on a sister radio station. By 2002, the television channel was reported to have an audience among ethnic Uzbeks in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. During the same period, it began taking over frequencies in parts of the Fergana Valley that had often been affected by interference from Russian television broadcasts. The channel’s institutional structure also changed over time. In 2005, the National Television and Radio Company approved the creation of a joint-stock company for the Yoshlar television and radio stations. The proposed structure retained a 51 percent state stake while making 49 percent available for sale. The initiative was presented as a move toward a different operating framework and greater creative independence, although Yoshlar remained associated with the national broadcasting system. Yoshlar has also reflected official cultural debates in Uzbekistan. A 2011 broadcast titled Melody and Catastrophe criticized rock and rap music, arguing that certain forms and music videos were morally objectionable. In 2013, Bolajon, a children’s channel, began operating under Yoshlar’s jurisdiction. The channel’s continuing role is therefore broader than youth entertainment alone: it functions as a state broadcasting platform for youth news, cultural identity, national history, public values, music, children’s media, and educational communication in Uzbekistan.

The broadcasting history behind Yoshlar reaches back to Uzbekistan’s Soviet-era television infrastructure. By the 1960s, the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic had three VHF television stations, although surviving published information is more detailed for the first channel than for the others. A second television service in Tashkent was documented by international broadcasting references in 1960, but its exact frequency was not specified in the available account. During the early years of independent Uzbekistan, the service that later became associated with Yoshlar was generally identified as TV2. Before the creation of the youth channel, it also carried programming from the Toshkent studio. The modern Yoshlar service was announced in the summer of 1998. Uzbek state television’s news program Axborot reported in late July that a new youth-oriented channel would launch on September 1 using TV2 frequencies. The service was established under Resolution No. 130 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Its creation was linked to a national objective of providing younger citizens with programming capable of combining entertainment, cultural education, civic themes, and an Uzbek-centered historical outlook. At the opening, the channel was described as a means of helping young people develop their own worldview and think responsibly. Yoshlar began with roughly six hours of daily broadcasting and later increased toward a sixteen-hour service. Its first programs covered a broad range of themes, including independence, childhood, national history, the legacy of Amir Timur, the Silk Road, music, and youth life. The channel also established its own news operation, Davr, which was initially scheduled at 7 p.m. Early weekday broadcasts generally ran from the evening until after midnight, while weekend broadcasts started in the morning and continued into the night. The service developed links with other Uzbek media outlets. In October 1999, a limited amount of Yoshlar programming was carried by Karakalpak television. That same period saw the launch of Yoshlar Radio on a related radio service, creating a broader youth-media identity rather than a television-only brand. By 2002, the channel was reported to reach ethnic Uzbek viewers in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. It also expanded onto frequencies in the Fergana Valley that had frequently experienced interference from Russian broadcasts. Yoshlar’s institutional position attracted attention in the early 2000s. In 2003, reports described tensions around staffing and management within Uzbek state television, including the transfer of personnel to Yoshlar and debate over the direction of the channel. The available account connects these developments with broader questions about leadership terms and the relationship between the established Oʻzbekiston service and the newer youth broadcaster. In November 2005, the National Television and Radio Company approved the formation of a joint-stock company to operate the Yoshlar television and radio stations. The proposed arrangement preserved majority state ownership at 51 percent while making 49 percent available for sale. The change was presented as an institutional adjustment intended to reduce direct operational constraints and support greater creative freedom, although Yoshlar remained part of Uzbekistan’s state broadcasting environment. The channel continued to serve as a venue for official discussion of youth culture. In February 2011, its Melody and Catastrophe program condemned rock and rap music, including the values and visual style it associated with those genres. The broadcast illustrates the channel’s role not only as an entertainment outlet but also as a platform through which cultural standards and public attitudes were communicated. In June 2013, Bolajon, a children’s channel, began under Yoshlar’s jurisdiction. This expanded the organization’s portfolio into a more dedicated children’s service while retaining the broader youth and family orientation of its television activities. Yoshlar is therefore best understood as a state television brand built around Uzbekistan’s youth audience. Its history combines inherited broadcast infrastructure, post-independence institution building, youth-oriented programming, national cultural messaging, regional distribution, and the addition of related radio and children’s services.

• 2013

  Bolajon begins under Yoshlar

  [1]Yoshlaren.wikipedia.org

  The children’s channel Bolajon begins operating under Yoshlar’s jurisdiction.

• 2011

  Melody and Catastrophe addresses rock and rap

  [1]Yoshlaren.wikipedia.org

  A Yoshlar program criticizes rock and rap music and presents certain forms of popular music as inconsistent with accepted moral standards.

• 2005

  Joint-stock operating company approved

  [1]Yoshlaren.wikipedia.org

  The National Television and Radio Company approves a joint-stock structure for the Yoshlar television and radio stations, with a proposed 51 percent state stake.

• 2002

  Regional reach expands

  [1]Yoshlaren.wikipedia.org

  Yoshlar takes over additional frequencies in the Fergana Valley and is reported to attract ethnic Uzbek viewers in Mazar-e-Sharif.

• 1999

  Programming reaches Karakalpak television

  [1]Yoshlaren.wikipedia.org

  Selected Yoshlar content begins airing through Karakalpak television, and Yoshlar Radio is launched through a sister radio service.

• 1998

  Yoshlar launches as a youth television channel

  [1]Yoshlaren.wikipedia.org

  A new youth-oriented channel begins broadcasting on September 1 using frequencies previously associated with TV2. It initially operates for approximately six hours per day.

A state-backed Uzbek television service positioned around youth audiences, national culture, education, public values, news, and entertainment.

• Television channel · 1998

  Yoshlar television service

  The core Yoshlar service is an Uzbek state television channel aimed primarily at young viewers. Its programming combines news, music, concerts, children’s content, historical features, cultural education, patriotic material, and programs about youth life. The service developed from the TV2 frequency infrastructure and expanded from a short daily schedule toward a substantially longer broadcast day.

• Television news · 1998

  Davr

  Davr is Yoshlar’s news service. It was part of the channel’s schedule from its first day of operation and was initially presented in an evening time slot. Its inclusion gave the youth-focused service a dedicated news identity alongside entertainment and cultural programming.

• Radio service · 1999

  Yoshlar Radio

  Yoshlar Radio is a related radio service launched through a sister station in 1999. It extended the Yoshlar brand beyond television and formed part of a wider youth-oriented broadcasting structure.

• Children’s television channel · 2013

  Bolajon

  Bolajon is a children’s channel that began operating under Yoshlar’s jurisdiction in 2013. Its creation broadened the organization’s responsibilities from general youth programming to a more specifically child-focused television service.

• 2013

  Launch of Bolajon under YoshlarProduct launch

  Background

  The broadcaster’s youth remit was expanded to include a dedicated children’s service.

  Action taken

  Bolajon began operating under Yoshlar’s jurisdiction.

  Aftermath

  Yoshlar’s portfolio consequently covered both broad youth programming and more specifically child-oriented television.

  Source

• 2005

  Joint-stock restructuring of Yoshlar television and radioStrategy

  Background

  The National Television and Radio Company considered a new institutional model for the Yoshlar television and radio stations.

  Action taken

  A joint-stock company was approved with 51 percent intended to remain under state control and 49 percent intended for sale.

  Aftermath

  The proposed structure was associated with claims of greater creative freedom, while the broadcaster continued to operate within Uzbekistan’s state media system.

  Source

• 1998

  Creation of a dedicated youth television channelProduct launch

  Background

  Uzbekistan’s state broadcasting system sought to establish a service aimed specifically at younger viewers, using the frequencies associated with the former TV2 service.

  Action taken

  Yoshlar was established under a Cabinet of Ministers resolution and began broadcasting on September 1, initially for about six hours per day.

  Aftermath

  The service expanded its broadcast hours and developed dedicated news, cultural, historical, children’s, music, and entertainment programming.

  Source

1. 1Yoshlaren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official Yoshlar websiteyoshlartv.uz