On April 14, 2008, journalists gathered in front of the Georgian Parliament on Mother Language Day to express solidarity with Studio Maestro, holding signs that read “Freedom to Speech!” The journalists, their mouths symbolically covered with bandages, protested for one hour against the National Communications Commission’s refusal to grant Maestro a general broadcasting license — a decision the studio regarded as a restriction on freedom of expression.

At the time, Maestro held an entertainment broadcasting license and had been seeking to change it since late 2007. Obtaining a general broadcasting license would have allowed the studio to air political and public affairs programs. To press the issue, Maestro began producing shows such as Profession: Journalist, Without Commentary, and Survey, even before the commission’s decision.

On March 20, the Communications Regulatory Commission sent a warning letter to Maestro, stating that by airing these programs, the studio had violated its licensing conditions by broadcasting socio-political content. As a result, the commission postponed the possibility of granting a general broadcasting license for at least one year. Nevertheless, on April 8, Maestro formally applied again for license modification. The commission had one month to respond.

The April 14 protest was organized to remind the public that the regulatory body was, in effect, acting as a censor and restricting freedom of speech on behalf of the state.

On May 22, the commission announced that it would first need to define broadcasting priorities and, until then, would suspend issuing new licenses or modifying existing ones. Maestro took the matter to court and, by the end of the year, finally succeeded in obtaining a general broadcasting license.