17. 08. 2005

RADIO TELEVISION SUBSCRIPTION TO BE 210 DINARS

BELGRADE, August 17, 2005 – The Broadcast Agency Council chairman Nenad Cekic said that under the new amendments to the Broadcast Act, the proposed monthly subscription rate for the Radio Television Serbia would be 210 dinars (about 0.25 euros) Council chairman Nenad Cekic told the state media that the competition for appointment of new RTS Managing Board would be conducted by mid October, adding that the deadline for privatisation of RTS into a public service broadcaster would expire on March 31, 2006. According to Cekic, agreement has been reached to collect the subscription with power bills, and payments will begin when controversial draft amendments to the Act are adopted. This, he said, would be next week. Cekic also said that “none from the RTS management has the secured position and that everyone must go through the process of competition”. He however expressed hope that the transformation of RTS, which envisaged the division of the company into two separate public service broadcasters – for Serbia and Vojvodina, would be concluded by the end of next year. Cekic reminded that there were 755 broadcasters in Serbia, “with real needs only for 370”. Their number would be therefore cut in half. Among the stations that would not get the license for broadcast would be the ones founded by the municipalities. He said that the Broadcast Act was not implemented because “the regulation of the broadcast sphere does not suit many broadcasters in Serbia, since they would be obliged to pay for the frequency and to respect the copyrights”. Cekic added that the proposed changes “not only have an effect on the core of the legislation, but also enable its implementation”. According to the chairman of the Council, the public service broadcaster needs to be established by the law. “Either RTS will be transformed into a public service, or it will no longer exist. No one has the right to take over the responsibilities of the public service”, said Cekic, adding that the transformation of the company would last between three and six months. Cekic pointed out that “the public service is regarded same as education and health”. The money from subscription could go directly to the media institution, and then “there would be no possibility for any minister or the entire government to say: Stop the subscription, they have aired something yesterday!” Cekic said the subscription was envisaged as a contribution for the public assets, not as the aspect of someone providing the service, and someone receiving it.