LOCAL TVS PROTEST SWITCHING OFF OF SPLIT-BASED STATION

ZAGREB, Feb 3 (Hina) - A national association of local television stations on Wednesday called on its members and all other television stations in Croatia to make a 15 minute break in broadcasting on Friday. The appeal was made in solidarity with the Split-based Adriatic TV (ATV), whose transmitters were switched off by competent state authorities. The association said the protest break in broadcasting was an attempt to urge immediate changes to the Law on Telecommunications. The association suggested cuts in the prices of concessions and frequencies and limited Croatian Radio-Television marketing, believing the current scope of marketing was inappropriate for a public, commercial television. The Friday break in broadcasting will take place between 9.15 and 9.30pm, during which time the screen will display a text explaining the reason for the intermission. The national association includes ATV, Television Cakovec, Zadar Town Television, Rijeka Channel RI, Television Moslavina Kutina, OTV Zagreb, Nova Pula television, VTV Vinkovci, and VTV Varazdin. The Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO) on Wednesday joined in condemning the switching off of ATV and called on the Croatian Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Communications to immediately enable ATV to resume broadcasting. The HHO believes the switching off was an attempt at disciplining the media which were trying to show different political options in Croatia. ATV's transmitters were switched off by the state inspector, with the explanation that the station was overdue with paying frequency fees. ATV's programme was switched off a few minutes before Drazen Budisa, president of the Croatian Social Liberal Party, was due to appear in a show called "Cenzura" (Censorship). HHO claims ATV was switched off for political reasons, basing the claim on information that frequency fees had not been paid when broadcasts featured the leaders of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union. (hina) ha jn