Romania report launched: media moguls dominate sector in decline
Today the Romanian Center for Independent Journalism (CJI) and the Open Society Institute launched the Romania chapter of the study, Television across Europe: Follow-up Reports 2008.
Bucharest, 19 May 2008
Marius Dragomir, one of the report's editors, presented some preliminary conclusions of the study. Although the new media have not dethroned the domination of television in audiences, traditional television has lost ground in all the nine countries included in the report. Romania, for example, has seen the largest drop in the combined audience of the three largest TV stations. In almost all these countries, the public service television has lost massive audience.
Mark Thompson, the other editor of the report, talked about the trend of "re-politicisation" of regulators and public service broadcasters. "This is clearly the case in Albania, the Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria and also here in Romania. Across the region, governments feel that the media landscape is moving under their feet, and they respond to this threat by tightening their grip on institutions that they traditionally see as 'theirs' by right."
Manuela Preoteasa, the author of the Romanian report, stressed that Romanian public service television continues to face serious difficulties and be under the strict control of political power. Preoteasa said that it is inadmissible for the positions of the president of the Council of Administration and general director to be fulfilled by the same person. Preoteasa said: “Private and public broadcasters alike forget that they are not in the business of selling shoes, but they have also a public mission.”
Ioana Avădani, executive director of the CJI, said that the report appeared at a time when the Ministry of Culture put up for debate the law on digitalisation. Avădani said that the bill has many weaknesses, leaving digitalisation in the political sphere. The CJI will send its comments on the bill to the Ministry of Culture in the coming week.
Media coverage (in Romanian)
Cotidianul: Audiovizualul românesc rămâne terenul de joacă al unei coterii de moguli
Hotnews: UPDATE Piata televiziunii: concentrata, interesata, interesanta
Radio Romania Actualitati: Studiu privind televiziunea în Europa
9 am: Open Society Institute: Audiovizualul romanesc ramane la mana mogulilor
