SARAJEVO, June 17 (Hina) - The Independent Media Commission (IMC) in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH) on Thursday ordered Croatian Television (HTV) to by June 30 cease airing three popular American TV shows in programmes which are re-broadcast
on BH territory via earth transmitters. The head of IMC's department for licence issuing, Robert Gillette, told reporters in Sarajevo on Thursday he had given HTV a deadline by which HTV must present a satisfactory explanation for airing TV shows on the territory of a country for which it had not purchased the rights. We wish to reach an agreement on this because we prefer this way of communication to imposing solutions, Gillette said. The TV shows "NYPD", "X Files", and "ER", which HTV airs in its programme, have become an additional problem, because the rights to air them in BH have been purchased by Sarajevo-based RTV BH. Gillette reiterated the BH market was too smal
SARAJEVO, June 17 (Hina) - The Independent Media Commission (IMC)
in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH) on Thursday ordered Croatian Television
(HTV) to by June 30 cease airing three popular American TV shows in
programmes which are re-broadcast on BH territory via earth
transmitters.
The head of IMC's department for licence issuing, Robert Gillette,
told reporters in Sarajevo on Thursday he had given HTV a deadline
by which HTV must present a satisfactory explanation for airing TV
shows on the territory of a country for which it had not purchased
the rights.
We wish to reach an agreement on this because we prefer this way of
communication to imposing solutions, Gillette said.
The TV shows "NYPD", "X Files", and "ER", which HTV airs in its
programme, have become an additional problem, because the rights to
air them in BH have been purchased by Sarajevo-based RTV BH.
Gillette reiterated the BH market was too small for 76 TV stations
which presently air, adding HTV represents unfair competition
given the absence of legislative solutions for the re-airing of its
programme in BH.
International community representatives in BH earlier announced
they would seek a full cessation of HTV re-airing in BH once a radio-
television network had begun functioning in one of Bosnia's two
entities, the Croat-Muslim federation, whose programme would then
meet the requirements of the Croat people in BH.
Since the beginning of the year, IMC has been issuing work permits
to electronic media in BH, without which no radio or TV station will
be able to air.
According to Gillette, 271 radio and TV stations have been
registered, 187 have already been given IMC licences, while the
remaining 84 will.
Bosnia's most important electronic media, however, are still on the
waiting list and cannot for the time being count on being granted
airing permits.
Gillette said licences will not be given to Sarajevo-based RTV BH,
Mostar-based Erotel, and Banja Luka-based Serb Radio-Television
(SRT), because, he explained, their status was linked with serious
political issues.
RTV BH's and Erotel's future position will depend on how a federal
radio-TV network has been established, while SRT will have to
undergo a serious reconstruction, Gillette said.
So far none of these three stations has assumed democratic
standards and become a genuinely public television, he explained.
According to IMC, SRT had been extremely problematic during the
Kosovo crisis, reporting on events in an extremely unilateral way
and by mainly quoting Belgrade's propaganda.
SRT was today fined with DM2,000, but Gillette believes the fine to
be symbolic. He warned SRT must undertake an internal restructuring
to achieve the required professional standards.
For the time being, IMC does not consider imposing solutions;
Gillette said SRT staff should be given the opportunity to
themselves change something, but pointed out it must be done as soon
as possible.
(hina) ha