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Public TV network France Télévisions is a big mess, said a leaked preliminary report by regulator CSA (Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel) obtained by BFMTV (November 5). The official report is due for release later this month and, if it follows the same main points, it will open yet another round of contentious reorganization and restructuring. And, too, France Télévisions president Rémy Pflimlin, the CSA and the French government each want to show a certain independence from each other.
TV channels France 2 and France 3 are too similar, said the leaked CSA document. France 4 and France 0 are “struggling to justify their existence.” Overall, it said, the organizational structure is confusing, making it difficult to “identify responsibilities diluted on different levels.” Top management, pointedly M Pflimlin, “lacks ambition to master costs, particularly with internal production.”
Responding to it all in an email to the France Télévisions staff, M Pflimlin said he is “convinced the offending report is not what the CSA wants to express.” And further, “In a time of crisis in which French society is destabilized, in the context of digital transition, we need a rigorous regulator, transparent and efficient.” (See more about media in France here)
“This (document) demonstrates a misunderstanding of the sector, the company and editorial interference, unless it was a personal attack against Rémy Pflimlin,” said an anonymous French Télévision source, quoted by challenges.fr (November 5).
Startled by the leak, the CSA released a statement hours later that it was but a “working document.” Before mid-year next the CSA, as French law prescribes, will either renominate M Pflimlin for another term as France Télévision’s chief executive or choose somebody else. After that, it’s up to the French government.
Slovak public broadcaster RTVS has been sanctioned by its Broadcasting Council for being insufficiently “objective” in reporting events surrounding the annexation of Ukrainian territory. The Broadcasting Council accepted a complaint over a March 1st evening TV news report about Russian Federation troops seizing the Crimea. RTVS news director Lukas Dika refrained from comment until the official text is received.
The complaint, author unidentified, said the news report was “Goebbels-like propaganda that portrays one side of the conflict (Russia) as the aggressor without any ability to defend itself,” quoted by Slovak media portal oMédiach.com (November 4). It continues with the well-worn arguments typical of Russian propaganda outlets, suggesting yet further attempts swaying public opinion similar to the ever-present “Putin-bot” trolls occupying website comment sections.
The Broadcasting Council noted that the news report in question included statements from pro-Russian activists “as an attempt to strike a balance… in the absence of the official position of representative of the Russian State.” The Slovak government, trade and energy needs understood, has taken a conciliatory tone regarding Russian involvement in Ukraine. In August RTVS was fined for highlighting the “dubious past” of several individuals receiving awards from former Slovak president Ivan Gasaparovic. (See more about TV news here)
German public broadcasting network ARD has taken similar criticism from the Program Advisory Board, a political body, for “one-sided and biased reporting to the detriment of the Russian Federation.” News director Thomas Baumann rejected that position, supported by left-wing Die Linke and right-wing AfD politicians, “vigorously,” reported tagesspiegel.de (September 19).
The “Putin-bots” are very much in evidence in Germany, shrieking as internet trolls do at every opportunity. Chairman of ARD affiliate NDR’s Broadcasting Council noted the “daily struggle” for reporters covering conflicts is not limited to “capturing facts, in a statement (October 31). “It is depressing that reporters are exposed to massive hostility and personal threats on the internet.”
Digital radio is the talk of Italy, mostly for the World DMB Forum annual meeting this week in Rome. The big radio broadcasters have, largely, adopted the DAB platform to supplement FM and internet distribution. Others might follow if regulator AgCom smoothed the way.
The Italian regulator opened both Band III and L Band to digital audio broadcasting (DAB). Band III is where terrestrial TV still resides even though the European Commission’s deadline for digital TV migration is long past. Part of Band III is set-aside for DAB, the rest for mobile telecoms. Higher frequency L Band is, generally, home to GPS and mobile phones. AgCom has been slow to allocate frequencies to new DAB multiplexes. (See more about DAB digital radio here)
DAB multiplexes built for big national and regional broadcasters, including public broadcaster RAI, located on Band III, like most but not all of Europe. Barely used by Italian broadcasters, L Band spectrum is being auctioned, potentially, as supplemental data space for mobile telecoms. The Italian government said it expects to earn as much as €700 million. But, alas, L Band is particularly well suited for low cost local DAB transmission. (See more about media in Italy here)
DAB receiver sales tripled in the first six months this year to about 100,000 units, said Club DAB Italia president Fabrizio Guidi to La Repubblica (November 3). “In Italy there are more than 1,200 stores where users can buy an increasingly rich range of digital radios.
Poland’s public broadcaster has refused to broadcast a political ad, calling it “obscene and vulgar.” The “Citizens Decide” campaign of NGO Civil Affairs Institute (Instytut Spraw Obywatelskich - INSPRO) is meant to promote voter participation in up-coming local elections. INSPRO mainly supports transportation and environmental initiatives including a moratorium on shale gas exploration.
The announcement in question featured well-known Polish film and TV actor Julia Kaminska and was released in YouTube last week. In the script she extols the importance of voting in the local elections because, to paraphrase in translation, politician’s promises flow like water. “Enough of this (colloquial Polish term similar to b***s**t).” INSPRO had asked Polish public radio and TV to broadcast the announcement within time allocated to public interest advertising. (See more about elections and media here)
Well, Polish Radio would have nothing to do with it. “The reason for the decision was the aesthetic expression of the spot, which uses a vulgar expression,” said a spokesperson, quoted by wirtualnemedia.pl (November 4). “The negative effect of the frequent repetition of the wording used in the campaign would be contrary to the standards and objectives of Polish Radio as a public broadcaster.”
There is no more Utopia on US TV network Fox. Based on the reality series created by Jon de Mol’s Talpa Media and running wild numbers in the Netherlands (SBS6), Utopia’s run on US Fox was planned for a year and lasted two months. Ratings were, shall we say, not up to expectations. The show’s budget, reportedly, was US$50 million. Fox TV is part of 21st Century Fox, principally owned by Rupert Murdoch.
The US show put 15 folks on an isolated Southern California ranch living by their wits and a TV crew. In its obituary, Variety (November 2) called Utopia “a social experiment that failed on TV.” A month into the show the broadcast schedule was halved to once per week and the typical reality show trill generator, vote somebody off, generated no votes from viewers paying US$5 per month to watch it all 24/7. (see more about reality TV here)
The original Dutch version of Utopia has been on-the-air since the first of the year with episodes five days a week. A Talpa Media spokesperson suggested the US show was hurt by irregular scheduling, like Fox making room for the Major League Baseball World Series. The Turkish version starts soon with German and Romanian versions to follow.
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