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Statement

29 September 2017
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Non-governmental media organizations and the members of the Supervisory board of the TV8 television, the first Moldovan television that, on its won initiative, proposes and agrees to be permanently monitored by representatives of civil society and, if necessary, to come up with recommendations on improving the content offered to the public, are concerned about the clearly deliberate delay by the Broadcasting Coordinating Council (BCC) of cession of the TV8 broadcasting license to the non-governmental organization “Media Alternativa.”

The BCC, repeatedly postponing the cession of the license, invokes reasons beyond its legal powers as the broadcasting regulator – relations between the licensee and other economic agents. We are disappointed that the BCC, having the legal status of “representative and guarantor of public interest in the audiovisual field,” “guarantor of defending public interest in audiovisual communication on democratic principles and the rights of program consumers,” and being obliged by law to supervise compliance with “pluralist expression of ideas and opinions in the programs transmitted by broadcasters under the jurisdiction of Moldova," in fact became the advocate of economic interests, which normally must be the exclusive concern of economic agents and, respectively, of competent authorities. We are convinced and alarmed that such an understanding and approach of the BCC towards is own powers parts it from the exercise of the mission prescribed by the legislation and, consequently, damages “the field of audiovisual communication on democratic principles."

We call on the BCC to reconsider its attitude towards this subject and to demonstrate real and sincere concern for the proper development of the field for public interest, as the letter and the spirit of the law dictate.
 
Electronic Press Association APEL
Association of Independent Press
Independent Journalism Center
Association of Independent TV Journalists of Moldova
Journalistic Investigations Center of Moldova
“Acces Info” Center
Supervisory Board of TV8