Local Public Broadcasters Fear that Local Media May Vanish

At the meeting held in Negotino on Thursday, July 21, the Association of Public Local Broadcasting Enterprises of Macedonia discussed the Draft-Broadcasting Law and estimated the new legislation will completely destroy the local system of information. The participants in the meeting were unanimous in the view that the new Law is unacceptable, both for the employees of the local public broadcasters and the general public. Jovanka Dojranlieva, the President of the Association, informed the representatives of the 29 local public broadcasters about the activities that the Association takes in regard to the proposed Law. The Association proposes that the transformation of the local broadcasters should continue with the transfer of ownership to the municipal councils, and that the Councils should receive 7.5% of the funds collected throught eh Broadcasting Fee. The proposal received support by the ZELS, the Chamber of Commerce and the National Commission for Prevention of Corruption. Of the other important novelties proposed by the draft-Broadcasting Law, the employees of the local broadcasting enterprises refuse the establishment of the PBS regional centres, since it will mean that some of them will be terminated. They also rejected the idea for transformation into non-profit media which would provide the opportunity for the reporters employed in other media outlets to do some recreational work.

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