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Yet another challenge has hit the world famous Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). Ukraine’s public broadcaster NTU is to host the event next May. There is certain pride, locally and internationally, in presenting the ESC which attracts more than 100 million viewers, not to forget several thousand fans, tourists and journalists.
A Eurovision Song Contest telecast does not arise on civic pride alone. It costs real money. And so, this week NTU general director Zurab Alasania resigned suddenly, citing budget issues caused for the broadcaster by the ESC.
“You guys in power, are you serious?” he wrote in the resignation letter, published by news agency mediaport.ua (November 1). For next year NTU has a total budget of just under €43 million with €16 million assigned to support the ESC, all set by the Finance Ministry. After transmission costs, utilities, rights fees and taxes all that’s left is €7 million. (See more about media in Ukraine here)
"Is that for the revamp of 32 outdated, obsolescent and obsolete (facilities)? It means zero for production and an average salary of UAH 2,300 (€ 81) per capita from that remaining amount. Shall we tell the country and the whole world that we are building a public service broadcaster after that?”
“The situation is serious,” said Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, in response. The Kiev government is contributing €7 million to the ESC event. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), ESC rights holder, said entries from 43 countries will be participating.
During the course of last week the Romanian parliament proposed and passed legislation to end about a hundred household and business taxes. Romania’s challenging economy and the popular irritations stemming from it prompted a demonstrative act from politicians. And, too, elections are coming in mid-December.
Among the “fees and charges” to be “abolished” is the public broadcasting household license fee, reported daily Evenimentul Zilei (October 31). In Romania it is collected through electric utility charges. Public radio broadcaster SRR and TV broadcaster SRTv have struggled financially in recent years. Revenues from the household license fee are the biggest source of funding.
Nobody knows what exactly would happen to SRR and SRTv as President Klaus Iohannis has yet to sign the measure into law. The most likely outcome is some sort of direct State funding. SSR general director Ovidiu Miculescu and SRTv general director Irina Radu met Monday (October 31) with President Iohannis to plead their cases. (See more about media in Romania here)
If a household license fee is the “least-best” solution for public broadcasting, direct State funding is considered the worst, risks of political meddling looming large. “Such an irremediable step,” wrote European Broadcasting Union (EBU) director general Ingrid Deltenre in a statement (October 26) “would be notifiable to the European Commission as a new EU State aid measure.” Earlier this year EBU suspended SRTv for non-payment of fees, ending participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. A compromise with the Romanian government was reached in time to allow broadcasting of the Rio Summer Olympics and the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifications.
The household license fee supporting German public broadcasting organizations will remain, for now, unchanged. A reduction had been recommended by the Federal commission that determines the financial needs of public broadcasters (KEF). Alas, the prime ministers of the Federal States decided to go their own way last week and keep the household license fee at €17.50 per month. The decision was unanimous, reported Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (October 28). The FAZ likened the proceedings to the movie Groundhog Day.
Most European public broadcasters are financed through some variation on the household license fee, in some countries augmented by advertising and some not. Complaints about the license fee are, often, proxies for more general hostilities toward public broadcasting, fueled by some private sector media houses and the politicians who love them. Competition brings out the best in everything.
The KEF argued that a €542 million revenue surplus through 2020 should be offset by a license fee reduction. After that, as costs rise, the household license fee could be bumped up to slightly more than €19 per month. The Länder ministers were concerned about the “stability” of the license fee, not to forget potential grumbling from consumer voters.
A not insignificant revenue stream for German public broadcasters - offering more than 80 TV and radio channels - is from advertising and sponsorship. Political winds, obviously, do not favor reducing the household license fee so private sector broadcasters continue to lobby for less ad revenues for public TV and radio. “The States have lost an historical opportunity,” said private broadcasters association VPRT chairman Hans Demmel in a statement. “It would have been the perfect time to ensure more equality of opportunity in the dual broadcasting system.” (See VPRT statement here - in German)
German public broadcasting chiefs are to submit cost savings plans by the end of this year.
The purge of dissenting news outlets in Turkey continues unfettered. Monday morning Cumhuriyet editor Murat Sabuncu and 13 newspaper staff were detained in the latest round-up, reported CNN Tu?Nrk and Al Jazeera (October 31). Chief executive Akin Atalay, thought to be out of the country, and chief financial officer Gu?Nnseli Ozaltay are also being sought. Police are reportedly searching personal residences.
Most media outlets in Turkey toe the official government and Justice and Development (AKP) party line. Some have called for shuttering Cumhuriyet once and for all like newspapers Zaman and Ozgur Gundem. During this past weekend Turkish authorities closed 15 Kurdish media outlets, which have published reports not generally seen in pro-government media, for “disseminating propaganda for a terrorist organization.” Included were leading Kurdish daily Azadiya Welat, news agency Dicle and multi-lingual womens news agency JINHA. (See more about media in Turkey here)
Turkish authorities, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, did not take kindly to Cumhuriyet reports, photos included, of Turkish intelligence services sending truckloads of weapons across the border into Syria last year. The previous Cumhuriyet editor, Can Du?Nndar, was arrested and jailed over that incident, tried and convicted though allowed release pending appeal. He took that opportunity to leave the country for Germany. The appeal is expected to be heard in November.
Roughly 170 media outlets in Turkey have been shuttered since last summers abortive coup, according to counts from major international news agencies. More than 100 media workers have been arrested. Media outlets closed and journalists jailed have been variously accused of supporting elderly cleric Islamic Fethullah Gu?Nlen or Kurdish separatists. The current arrest warrants alleged support “without being a member” of those naughty organizations. (See more about press freedom here)
Since the alleged July coup President Erdogan has placed the country under a state of emergency, renewed in October for another three months. He recently called for a constitutional amendment to restore the death penalty.
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