The European Broadcasting Union has urged the Slovak government to retain the licence fee as the means of financing Slovak Radio and Slovak Television rather than shift to direct government subsidy.
“If we can all agree that public media require independence, then this means first and foremost financial independence,” EBU Vice-President Claudio Cappon told an international consultation entitled Quo Vadis, Slovak Public Service Broadcasting? “Why would you abandon a system which apparently works?”
EBU Radio Director Raina Konstantinova said the licence fee was the preferred funding method for public broadcasters because it ensures greater editorial independence and guarantees stability of funding.
Slovak Culture Minister Daniel Krajcer, addressing the same meeting, described the financial situation of Slovakia’s public media as “alarming” and defended the government’s plan to replace the licence fee by direct subsidies.
The consultation was also addressed by Ivo Belet of the European Parliament’s Culture Committee. It was Mr Belet’s first public appearance since the first reading this week of his report on public service broadcasting in the digital era. Mr Belet emphasized the crucial role of the “dual system” - of public service and commercial broadcasting - as a cornerstone of the European media landscape.
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