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SLOVAKIA
I. State-run
Slovak TV said to face financial crisis.
The parliamentary Culture and Media Committee approved
[on 10th March] a draft budget for [state-run] Slovak
Radio, the Radio and TV Broadcasting Council and
[state-run] Slovak TV [STV]. Some deputies believe,
however, that the budget cannot meet the needs of the
media bodies involved, in particular those of STV.
They have
described the budget for STV as unrealistic, as STV was
allocated 60m Slovak crowns less than in 1998. On
the other hand, STV was strongly criticized for poor
management of its finances.
[Reporter]
Member of the Culture and Media Committee and Deputy for
the [opposition] Movement for a Democratic Slovakia [HZDS]
Dusan Jariabek has said that according to the law, all
STV customers should pay substantially more in
subscription fees. . . .
[Jariabek]
If we fail to find a way out of the current financial
crisis and if an amendment to the law on TV licences is
not adopted, STV will be forced to reduce its broadcasts
as of September 1999. Furthermore, there will be
severe restrictions on STV programming and many of its
programmes will have to be scrapped. . . .
I would like
to stress that I consider it essential to adopt an
amendment to the law on the media. I am confident
that STV will not be able to cope with the current crisis
if the law is not appropriately amended. Needless
to say, 1.6m crowns a year is totally insufficient.
Radio Twist,
Bratislava, March 10, 1999
II. Plans
for VTV-Sever TV merger.
The biggest property share in the inactive Sever (North)
TV sro [Ltd] of Zilina, which is currently highlighted in
connection with the VTV sale and creating competition for
TV Markiza, is owned by Diana Dubovska, party of Civic
Understanding (SOP) MP and regular acquaintance of Slovak
entrepreneur Jozef Majsky, who has announced his
intention to buy into VTV and link it up with Sever.
Dubovska has a
34-per cent share of Sever television worth more than 1m
crowns of the company’s basic capital (which is 3m
crowns). Sever TV started broadcasting [on]
31st December 1993 on channel 52.
Being a
terrestrial station, it could be watched only in the
Zilina region. Sever television had to stop its
broadcasting due to financial troubles in 1997.
Until [3rd March], it still owes its employees some 3m
crowns. Majsky’s entry into the company took
place in August and September 1996.
Currently,
Majsky is negotiating a buy-in to satellite VTV (Vasa
Televizia, your television), which has over 1bn-crown
debt. The Sever-VTV merger is, according to Majsky,
the only hope for VTV’s survival.
TASR news agency,
Bratislava, March 3, 1999
III.
Parliament sets up new media watchdog.
On [17th February], parliament elected three new members
of the media licence council [the Council for Radio and
Television Broadcasting] for the next six years.
This step was urgent, as the council ceased to be able to
adopt resolutions in December 1998.
Ernest Valko,
a well-known advocate, proposed by Slovak Democratic
Coalition (SDK) and Maria Hradiska [name as received],
proposed by the Party of the Democratic Left (SDL), were
elected in the first round of voting.
Anton Kubisch,
proposed by the Party of Civic Understanding (SOP), was
elected in the second vote. The reason why some
MPs, including Frantisek Miklosko (SDK MP, Christian
Democratic Movement member), did not support Kubisch was
that he worked as the news editor in chief in the
communism-tainted Slovak Television before November 1989.
Tibor Varga,
proposed by the Party of the Hungarian Coalition (SMK),
was elected as a replacement for Juraj Sarvas, recalled
on [16th February]. Varga will remain in the
function until 15th December 2000. [All
aforementioned parties are members of the government
coalition.]
TASR news agency,
Bratislava, February 18, 1999
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