Meet The New Boss, Once The Old Boss

Michael Hedges August 29, 2011 Follow on Twitter

Public broadcasters have remained highly competitive across the broad landscape. A certain advantage is a development and strategy view longer than the next quarter, executives and budgets reasonably stable. It’s normal. But sometimes a different normal is invented.

A new Polish public radio president was recently selected (August 3) amidst the usual paranormal political debate on such things. One of seven nominees, Andrzej Siezieniewski will take over the reins immediately, confirmed by media regulator KRRiT (August 25).  Anything was possible as the KRRiT refused another nominee for the post in mid July.

Mr. Siezieniewski comes with considerable experience with Polski Radio (PR), where he’d been a journalist, chief of the Polish Information Agency, member of the supervisory board and, between 2002 and 2006, the organizations’ president. He comes with the support of the Democratic Left  Alliance (SDP) political party and, it seems, considerable support from within PR. Mr. Siezieniewski is a “radio person” say insiders, who also believe he’ll be less inclined to appoint political cronies.

“This is the best possible choice,” said former PR Radio Three (Troika) director Witold Laskowski, who also had his hat in the ring for the job, quoted by Press.pl (August 4). “Andrew Siezieniewski is competent and (will not) harm the mission of the Polish Radio. For four years he was a very good president and did not engage politically. He will be a good guardian of Polish Radio in times of technological transformation.”

Another of the candidates was former PR Radio One (Jednyka) director Ryszard Hincza, who had been fired a few days before the selection. Mr. Hincza became director of PR Radio One in October 2009 when Wincentego Pipke was fired by then PR president Jaroslaw Hasinski for disappointing audience ratings. The PR supervisory board re-nominated Mr. Hasinski in July, which the KRRiT rejected.

Radio One news director Andrzej Zak was named acting director (August 10), professing little interest in holding the position permanently. He’d been fired from PR in 2006, coinciding with the departure of Mr. Siezieniewski as PR president, “because of a whim of the board supported by Law and Justice (PiS political party),” he told Wirtualnemedia.pl (August 11). After working with television broadcaster Polsat he returned to PR in December 2009. He indicated no major departure from the development plan proposed by Mr. Hincza.

Audience estimates show declining market share for PR Radio One (Jednyda), PR’s main general interest channel, over the last four years in the national Radio Track survey by Millward Brown SMG/KRC. Market shares for PR Radio Three (Troika), best described as an eclectic music channel, have been slowly rising. (See Poland national radio audience trends here)

Turmoil in Polish public broadcasting – Polski Radio and Telewizja Polska (TVP) – has rapt the intertwined media and political leaders. Both houses of the Polish Parliament rejected the 2010 annual report of regulator KRRiT, raising the possibility of removing all its board members and forming a new executive. Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, however, rescued the KRRiT by approving the report (July 12) citing the need for stability in public broadcasting with election season nearing.

”It seems dangerous to continue feeding instability in the public media during the upcoming parliamentary elections,” said President Komorowski in a statement, quoted by  wPolityce.pl (July 12).  ”One of the tasks of the National Broadcasting Council is monitoring the situation in the public media and to intervene in case of breach of the principles laid down by law.” The regulator had done a good job, he added, because it improved radio and television license fee collections by 20%.

At the KRRiT board meeting (July 11) that rejected Mr. Hasinski’s nomination two new PR board members were approved; Henryka Cicheckiego, a member of the TVP supervisory board and affiliated with the Polish Peasants (PSL) political party, and Jolanta Wisniewska, former president of commercial broadcaster Radio Eska and affiliated with the Civic Platform (PO) political party. The appointment of Mr. Cicheckiego to the PR board creates a vacancy on the TVP board, yet another opportunity for debate.

Last year parliament and the president rejected the KRRiT 2009 annual report, causing the board’s immediate dissolution. New board members were nominated and approved after the usual posturing. Former TVP president Jan Dworak was named president of the KRRiT board. The agency has struggled to cope with amendments to Polish media law in effect since May, moving slowly on IPTV, product placement and compliance with European Commission rules on digital television.

Mr. Dworak was TVP president from 2004 until 2006. He was replaced by Bronislaw Wildstein, who lasted nine months. The next TVP president, Andrzej Urbanski, was fired after three months. Board member Piotr Farfal was the next TVP president, named in 2008. Nine months later he was out, though for a short time he refused to leave the building.

Boguslaw Szwedo was the next TVP president but his short tenure ended when the government disposed of the entire board. Tomasz Szatkowski was next, lasting only six weeks, followed by Romuald Orzel, who stayed until the entire board was dismissed in August 2010. Wlodzimierz Lawniczak was named acting TVP president though he resigned for health reasons four months later, passing away shortly thereafter. Boguslaw Piwowar was the next acting TVP president, for a mere two months before returning to the supervisory board. Mr. Orzel, then, came back for three days until Juliusz Braun, former KRRiT president, was named acting TVP president, then confirmed for the, arguably, permanent post. He’s still there.

The KRRiT adopted new criteria for PR and TVP directors in November 2010: Polish citizenship, university degree, management experience and no criminal convictions. Also essential are the proper affiliations; political parties divide up directorships within PR and TVP. Not required, officially, is grace in avoiding revolving door injuries.

See also in ftm Knowledge

Media in Poland

Poland is the largest media market of the new EU Member States and the changes have often been surprising, sometimes radical and never ending. Publishers, broadcasters and new media are plentiful, talented and under constant stress. ftm has its eye on Poland. 80 pages PDF Includes Poland's neighbor Belarus, resources (August 2011)

Order here

Public Broadcasting - Arguments, Battles and Changes

Public broadcasters have - mostly - thrown off the musty stain of State broadcasting. And audiences for public channels are growing. But arguments and battles with politicians, publishers and commercial broadcasters threatens more changes. The ftm Knowledge file examines all sides. 64 pages PDF (January 2010)

Order here