Public Broadcasters “Don’t Want To Be Poor”

Michael Hedges October 18, 2010 Follow on Twitter

No single part of the media sector has escaped the upheavals this decade has brought. Digital media and broadband uptake left broadcasters and publishers bemused as consumers – and advertisers - leapt for iPods, smartphones and Facebook. Add a financial crisis to general uncertainty and some media operators, particularly public broadcasters, are banging the pots for cash.

International institutions picking up the pieces after the Balkan wars of the 1990’s have expended considerable energy and money intended to bring countries in the region closer to European standards in every possible infrastructure. A viable media, independent and responsible, was considered essential to democracy building. Twenty years on it remains more goal than reality.

To be sure, in Southeast Europe, the Balkans and countries of the former Yugoslavia the media sector is showing signs of regeneration. Some investment has trickled into the region for private sector broadcasting, publishing and technical infrastructure. Some regulation has been rewritten – and rewritten – to provide a calculus for media in the public sphere. These are small countries, however, and resources are dear.

Opening a regional conference (October 14) organized to meld digital transition with support for public broadcasting, Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretary General Hido Biscevic painted an unflattering portrait of progress. Only Croatia has achieved digital television transition. Other countries will join in the next two years. Several are years away. He called it a digital divide between countries in the South East and the rest of Europe.

“In our region it is extremely important not to allow for the digital divide to create additional information-exchange gaps, communication alienation or inability to share relevant information and programs, thus hampering the much needed social, cultural, political and human ties, reconciliation, tolerance, understanding and coexistence of different cultures and social identities in South East Europe,” he offered. “The most common obstacles to switch-over are the lack of political decision and relevant legislation, absence of the related strategy, and lack of political will and funds to implement the legislation and the strategies where they exist.”

In common with difficulties implementing analogue to digital television transition, said Mr. Biscevic, is “many public broadcasters in the region have still not completed fully the transition from a state into a public broadcaster, and digital transition represents an additional burden, both in terms of human and financial resources.” The region remains, he said, unsettled, uncompleted and unfinished.

“This corner of Europe is still unsettled in terms of uncompleted peace and unfinished transition. The region is still not at peace with itself. Political leaders still have numerous strategically important issues to resolve in order to stabilize their countries and allow for their societies to move forward. Democratic institutions still need to be fully stabilized. Unresolved open or bilateral issues influence the very character of social life and social values and behavioral patterns, equally within the domestic agenda as in the relations with neighboring states and nations. There are too many evidences of social instability and frustrative social environments. Divisions and antagonism still prevail over the understanding and dialogue. Distorted values add to the inherited complexities and inwardness. Isolationism still serves nationalism. Sensationalism serves social frustrations. Former social paradigms and values are gone, new identities are built more often on negative aspects of globalization then on genuine values of democracy, human rights, rule of law and social tolerance.”

As the conference was jointly organized by RCC and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), considerable attention was given to public broadcasting and the furtive attempts to transition from purely State controlled media. EBU General Director Ingrid Deltenre asked for “focus on the role that sustainable public service mediacan and should play in South East Europe as they do, or should do, everywhere else on our continent.” Mrs. Deltenre is acutely aware of a rising tide in Western Europe to downsize if not curb public broadcasters’ activities.

“As has been repeatedly stressed by the Council of Europe, and by the institutions of the European Union which several countries represented here are so eager to join,” invoked Mrs. Deltenre, “independent and sustainably-funded public service broadcasters are vital to European societies and democracy. The European Union recognizes that there can be no sustainable pluralistic democracy without a functioning and independent public service broadcaster. And so it will not allow any more members into the club unless the respective governments permit and sustain media freedom. Not least because of the bad experiences of the recent past – when there were many regrettable examples, in this part of the world, of government interference, nationalism, hate speech and so on.”

The Regional Cooperation Council succeeded in 2008 the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe (SP). Security and democracy building were the primary goals of the SP, which derived its funding from outside the region. Operating for nearly ten years the SP placed certain emphasis on media development and millions of euros and dollars were spent. The RCC is a slimmed down version with more emphasis on regionally constituted development than grants-in-aid from international donors. The European Union contributed €600 million to the RCC’s initial funding.

A more nuanced presentation came on the second day of the conference (October 15) from Marisa Fernandez Esteban of the European Commission (EC) DG Information Society and Media (DG Infos) Audiovisual and Media Policies Unit.  Public broadcasting is “a key player in the promotion of cultural diversity in line with the Digital Agenda for Europe.” Public broadcasting “must respond” to the digital challenges “but the multiplication of platforms do not guarantee media pluralism or quality of the audiovisual contents.”

There are, she said, limits, reiterating EC policies on State aid and new media activities. “The co-existence of private and public audiovisual service providers is a key feature of the European audiovisual media market.”

Grand words of lofty goals and mighty aspirations are typical of media development conferences. Speakers tend to reflect their institutional values in carefully balanced language. Nevertheless, it was Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) president Petar Karanakov who distilled the challenge faced by public broadcasters in the region. Public broadcasters, he said, have “huge responsibility” for leading in technology plus “driving public interests” as well as creating content. MRT is one of the smallest European public broadcasters, offering three radio channels and three television channels. It’s license fee revenue in 2009 was less the €1 million and income from advertising miniscule.

“We are under constant threat, weak and powerless,” he said. “We appreciate all the solidarity…but is that all we need? No!”

“I don’t want to be poor.”

See also in ftm Knowledge

Media in South East Europe

The countries of South East Europe are a mix of EU Members - Greece, Romania and Bulgaria - and two on the fringes - Macedonia and Moldova. The region has media billionaires and big broadcasters vying for ad share and market position. Challenges, not just on the fringes, remain daunting. Includes Resources. 56 pages PDF (May 2010)

Order here

Public Broadcasting - Arguments, Battles and Changes

Public broadcasters have - mostly - thrown off the musty stain of State broadcasting. And audiences for public channels are growing. But arguments and battles with politicians, publishers and commercial broadcasters threatens more changes. The ftm Knowledge file examines all sides. 64 pages PDF (January 2010)

Order here