Transition to Digital Television: Local Televisions Ask for a Regional Multiplex

The managers of local TV channels believe that after December 31, 2017, with transition to digital television, they will lose more than half of their target audience, or will even disappear because of lack of money. A solution, in their opinion, might be for the State to build a regional multiplex for regional channels. Representatives of media NGOs also draw the attention of authorities to the fact that in addition to technical aspects it is necessary to take into consideration the diversity of the media content, which is ensured by local media.

Angela Zaharova, producer of Elita TV channel, told Media Azi that for a television, especially a local one, the audience is very important. “As for Elita TV, I’m not sure that after December 31^st our programs will be received at least by a half or a third of the audience that we have now. Yes, we are present in the networks of cable operators and we have national coverage due to the presence in these packages, but the most important for citizens, especially for the people living in regions, is the reception of a free signal,” says Agela Zaharova.

Local broadcasters recognize that they risk losing the equipment that they bought for transition to analog television. “We were asked to invest in our own analog television stations, now we are asked to invest in digital terrestrial television. What are the guarantees that in one year or two we will not be asked to invest in optical fiber, to which many countries have already transferred?” wonders Angela Zaharova.

Andrei Bargan from TV Chimislia channel shares this concern: “We have expensive aerials, we have cable joining the aerials to the transmitter, modern transmitters that can be transformed into digital. Having all this structure, we are now forced to send it ... to the scrap metal yard! Why does no one think that this equipment cost us about 15-20 thousand euro, either from grants or our own money...”

A solution, in the opinion of the two managers, might be for the State to build a regional multiplex for regional channels. According to some estimates, the creation of a regional multiplex, depending on the complexity of the landscape, would require about 2.5-3.0 million lei, an investment that no local broadcaster can afford by themselves.

Asked by Media Azi to comment on the concerns of local TV managers, Victor Pulbere, the head of the control and digitization department of the Broadcasting Coordinating Council (BCC), said that “every broadcaster should find their own solutions, based on their concrete situation (primarily financial).” The BCC official does not see a problem in the fact that some local televisions could disappear in the process of transition to digital television because, he believes, “even in richer countries, such as Finland, there were cases of disappearance of local broadcasters.” The only solution, according to Victor Pulbere, would be “to find opportunities for building a local multiplex.”

Beyond the technical aspects of transition to digital television, representatives of media NGOs draw the attention of authorities to the fact that other important aspects, such as diversity in the media content, which is currently ensured by local media, should also be taken into consideration in this process. “In accordance with the law of proximity, people are more interested in what is going on in their community, district or region, and local televisions provide such information,” argues Alexandru Dorogan, a member of the Electronic Press Association. The expert reminds that many local channels had a hard time finding their place as an indispensable and reliable source in their communities, and now they are in an uncertain situation.