30. 08. 2012

ANEM: ABOLITION OF TV SUBSCRIPTION FEE UNDERMINES THE ESSENCE OF THE PROBLEM

Belgrade, August 30, 2012 - Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) notes that unofficial information that the Serbian Government apparently intends to abolish RTV subscription fee, if proven true, constitute tacit admitting of the new ruling coalition that it does not intend to truly reform the media sector.

ANEM notes that the question of whether the public service would be financed by subscription fee, or directly from the budget, is extremely complex, not only because the latter solution is threatening to provide politicians with yet another mechanism with which it will be able to influence the reporting. A hasty decision like this would just show that those who will bring it, do not see the bigger picture.

The low percentage of collection of radio-television subscription fee is not only a consequence of poverty and economic crisis. Even when listening to or watching the programs of PSBs, the majority of citizens do not relate to them as their own, and do not perceive public service as a place where information, views and criticism freely circulate. For that reason, the citizens refuse to participate in its funding by paying subscription fee.

On the other hand, the financial problems in which public services are, pull the whole media system into disaster. When a public service does not pay for musical authors' rights, it results in higher fees for commercial media; when public service does not pay for radio frequencies, it results in higher fees for other users; when public service does not pay broadcasting costs, it threatens to undermine the process of digitalization and deprive the state of the income that it could have by licensing the part of spectrum that should be made available in the process of digitalization.

ANEM therefore believes that the question of whether the public service will be financed by subscription fees, or directly from the budget, is not the essence of the problem. The essence is that, in Serbia, the mandate and duties of the public services are not clearly defined and described, which prevents any independent control of the quality and the extent to which public services conform their function, that their business is not transparent, that is, that we do not know (and we cannot possibly know) whether the money - which public services are already receiving either through subscription fees or from the budget - is spent responsibly and purposefully. In such circumstances, we cannot know at all whether the public services are underpaid or overpaid.

ANEM calls on the responsible for media policy in Serbia to immediately launch the widest public discussion that would provide answers to the above questions. ANEM also reminds that, whatever the funding model is finally chosen, it must respect the European rules of protection of competition and state aid control, in line with the Serbia's commitments taken upon in the Transitory Trade Agreement with the European Union and the Stabilization and Accession Agreement.

ANEM President, Sasa Mirkovic