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Week of March 18, 2019

Press releases cause crisis at public broadcaster
soap operas, too

The Cyprus parliament voted last week to reject the 2019 budget of public broadcaster CyBC. The order immediately halts all expenditures. Members of both major political parties Disy and Diko voted for the measure.

The big issue is the quality of the public broadcaster’s content rather than the typical political complaints over budgets or subservience. CyBC has been funded through the state budget since 2000, when a household tax through electricity bills was abandoned. The government also wants CyBC to give up reliance on advertising. CyBC offers three national television channels and four radio channels. (See more about media in Cyprus here)

“We have said many times that we want a public broadcaster modeled on the BBC as regards information, reliability and seriousness, which promotes culture and not just another station competing with the others which broadcasts soap operas,” said Disy president Averoff Neophytou to parliament before the vote, quoted by in-cyprus.com (March 16). “Is it news every night to be given the position or written statements of the political parties?” After the vote he reassured employees and retirees they would be paid at the end of the month. (See more about public broadcasting here)

Crisis talks are taking place this week among the political parties, unions and the broadcaster’s management. A 30 day deadline has been set to resolve the various issues. CyBC is required to present press statements from each political party as part of news programs on radio and TV as well as online.

“There will be a strengthening of cultural programs and news in the new season.” said CyBC chairman Andreas Frangou, quoted by Politis (March 18). “There is also the need to amend the obsolete law on public broadcasting, which requires all news of the parties to be read in news broadcasts. This must stop; focus on real news and have less party intervention.”

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