THE SUPREME Court on February 15 suspended a decision by the state license council allowing new station JOJ TV to broadcast on a Žilina frequency; JOJ, owned by Czech media power Vladimír Železný, said the ruling could stop it from launching operations altogether.
However, Supreme Court Justice Eva Babiaková overturned her own decision on February 21, allowing JOJ to launch March 2.
JOJ has already invested Sk100 million ($2.1 million) into advertising ahead of the launch and has Sk350 million in project commitments, say station officials.
The court received a complaint last December from Slovakia's biggest station, TV Markíza, that the award of the Žilina frequency, which makes up 30 per cent of JOJ's terrestrial coverage, would cause Markíza Sk40-60 million in damages.
