22. 02. 2011

BRADIĆ: RBA could withdraw the broadcasting license

Belgrade, February 22, 2010 (Danas) - The Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RBA) has the authority to revoke the license of the media outlets broadcasting the programs that violate the Broadcasting Law and the Code of Conduct for Broadcasters, said the Minister of Culture Nebojsa Bradic yesterday.

As a competent agency RBA has sufficient authority to notify, warn or revoke media licenses for broadcasting of certain programs - said Bradic referring to the incidents in the reality show programs on TV Pink and Happy TV.

He said that the amendments to the Broadcasting Law, which imply transferring the authority to RBA Council to impose penalty, would be before the MPs immediately after the adoption of the Strategy for media development in Serbia expected in the first half of the year.

The new law would stipulate the possibility the RBA Council could impose financial penalties for violations of laws under its jurisdiction, without judicial intervention as well as its authority to impose a temporary or permanent ban on broadcasting of certain programs.

To remind, on Friday RBA called for an extraordinary meeting because of the violent content in the reality programs on television Pink and Happy. Such content was the reason  for warning these stations and initiating misdemeanor proceeding against Pink.

Srboljub Bogdanovic, the RBA spokesman said yesterday at the roundtable named "Rijaliti Srbija" that it was under the jurisdiction of the Agency to impose measures of notification, public warning, revocation of license for 30 days and permanent revocation of license or to file misdemeanor proceedings.

Tatjana Vojtehovski TV Pink spokeswoman stated that representatives of the electronic media together with authorities should have been involved in amending the Broadcasting Law in order to create better conditions on the media market. She said that the RBA had managed to regulate the media market in Serbia, which had been "ruled by chaos" prior to the establishment of this regulatory body.