Associations representing commercial television, radio, online and print publishers are criticising the draft of the new public service media bill. In their joint comments, they highlight in particular the inadequate definition of public service, the absence of regulation of online advertising, and the abolition of existing mechanisms for monitoring new projects by Czech Television and Czech Radio.
According to representatives of the private media market, fundamental changes to the functioning of public service media cannot be separated from their impact on the commercial sector. The associations are therefore demanding that the state also consult private media service providers on the changes.
One of the main problems with the draft, they argue, is the unclear definition of public service itself. In particular, they criticise the abolition of the memoranda between the state and public service media, which until now have specified the conditions under which Czech Television and Czech Radio operate. According to the associations, the memoranda contained important safeguards, for example regarding the operation of public service media in the online environment or rules on making archive material available to other media.
Commercial media also direct significant criticism towards the area of advertising. According to them, the proposal completely overlooks restrictions on online advertising by public service media, even though limits for television and radio broadcasting remain in place. The associations point out that Czech Television and Czech Radio will thus compete in the advertising market with private media, even though they have guaranteed funding.
“This runs counter to the purpose of providing a public service and, at the same time, raises the question of distortion of competition,” the associations state in their joint position.
Criticism is also directed at the abolition of current procedures for approving new significant services by public service media. Current legislation requires that new projects with a potential impact on the media market undergo consultation with the public and supervisory bodies. The amendment removes this mechanism.
At the same time, private media are proposing the introduction of benchmarking ofpublic service media coststhrough an independent expert commission. According to them, this commission would assess the efficiency of expenditure and compare costs with similar media organisations in Europe. According to the associations, this is a common tool used in many European countries.
The associations also have reservations about certain other parts of the proposal. They describe as illogical the possibility for Czech Television and Czech Radio to publish their own print periodicals. They also call for the addition of rules on making content accessible to people with visual or hearing impairments, which they claim the proposal weakens compared to the current legislation.
The comments are signed by the Association of Commercial Television Stations ( AKTV), the Association of Online Publishers (AOV), the Association of Private Broadcasters ( APSV), the Czech Union of Publishers ( ČUV) and the Association for Internet Development ( SPIR).
The consultation period ended on Friday
The consultation period on the draft Public Service Media Act ended on Friday 15 May. Dozens of comments were received. “We will begin processing those we consider relevant,” said Culture Minister Oto Klempíř. Within a few days, he intends to submit a regulatory impact assessment(RIA) for the draft bill.
The draft Public Service Media Act has been criticised by the management of Czech Television and Czech Radio, as well as by experts and the opposition. On 22 April, staff at both organisations went on strike alert over the proposed legislation. They are calling on the government to abandon the planned changes.
Instead of the current licence fees, Czech Television and Czech Radio would receive a fixed sum. For next year, this is roughly 1.4 billion less than this year. Klempíř’s proposal for ČT sets aside 5.74 billion crowns from next year’s budget. This year, ČT is operating on a total budget of 8.5 billion. According to the proposal, ČRo is to receive 2.07 billion crowns from the state budget, 400 million less than it will collect in licence fees this year.
Source: mediaguru.cz