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“0% of local programs in Romanian.” The BC sanctioned three stations for the lack or insufficiency of local product

02 March 2021
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În Moldova
The Broadcasting Council (BC) fined the television stations RTR Moldova and ITV 5,000 lei each for repeated violations of the obligation to broadcast at least 4 hours of local audiovisual programs, including in Romanian, some of which should be broadcast in prime time. Bravo TV was also sanctioned for the same violations, but only with a public warning, because it is its first violation. The meeting took place on March 2.

Notifications to the BC came from the Employers’ Association of Broadcasters of Moldova. The BC’s monitoring confirmed that Bravo TV produced during the monitored period “0% of local audiovisual programs, including 0% of local programs in Romanian and in prime time.” On the other hand, RTR Moldova and ITV broadcast such programs with a duration of less than four hours, the share of audiovisual programs in Romanian was less than 80%, and local audiovisual programs broadcast in prime time – less than 75 %, as required by law.

Following the examination of the report, the BC members decided to sanction Bravo TV with public warning, and the stations RTR Moldova and ITV were fined 5,000 lei each.

The BC representatives noted that the exponents of the television stations Bravo TV, ITV, and RTR Moldova did not comment on the issues invoked by the Association. At the same time, the BC President Ala Ursu-Antoci urged the Association that submitted the petitions to monitor other television stations in the same respect. “Don’t just keep an eye on some media providers,” said Ala Ursu-Antoci. In this context, the head of the BC requested the stations Canal 2 and Canal 3, which are affiliated to the Employers’ Association of Broadcasters, to be monitored, too, regarding their compliance with the local product quota.

At the same time, the BC members granted a period of three months to the sanctioned televisions for the local product broadcast to comply with legal requirements, obliging them to submit a monthly report on the measures taken. “I agree that it is more difficult to find a local product for Bravo TV, because it broadcasts cartoons, but the media service provider can include in its schedule programs for children that can be made on the territory of Moldova, in a studio. It doesn’t have to be just cartoons. The broadcast schedule can be revised to include a local product, because we have quite talented children who might be in the spotlight. Why not? The broadcaster just has to make an effort,” commented the BC member Lidia Viziru in the context.

According to her, the providers had enough time to review their broadcast schedule after the amendment of the Code of Audiovisual Media Services.