ZAGREB, June 29 (Hina) - Members of the National Association of Television Stations (NUT) will stop broadcasting if the Croatian National Sabor fails to adopt their amendments to the final bill on telecommunications, NUT leaders told
a news conference in Zagreb on Tuesday. The association demands that commercial TV stations be allowed to broadcast the same programme at the same time, up to five hours a day. They also demand that public sale on Croatian Television (HTV) be prohibited and that HTV's commercialisation be prevented, as well as that the time limit for commercials on HTV be reduced and that local advertisements be prohibited on HTV's regional programmes. Explaining the amendments, Denis Mikelic of "TV Nova" from Pula, said local TV stations in other countries could simultaneously broadcast the same programme, which suited both their viewers and the advertis
ZAGREB, June 29 (Hina) - Members of the National Association of
Television Stations (NUT) will stop broadcasting if the Croatian
National Sabor fails to adopt their amendments to the final bill on
telecommunications, NUT leaders told a news conference in Zagreb on
Tuesday.
The association demands that commercial TV stations be allowed to
broadcast the same programme at the same time, up to five hours a
day. They also demand that public sale on Croatian Television (HTV)
be prohibited and that HTV's commercialisation be prevented, as
well as that the time limit for commercials on HTV be reduced and
that local advertisements be prohibited on HTV's regional
programmes.
Explaining the amendments, Denis Mikelic of "TV Nova" from Pula,
said local TV stations in other countries could simultaneously
broadcast the same programme, which suited both their viewers and
the advertisers. Such a change in Croatia would create competition
for HTV, he added.
Public sale on television should be left to commercial TV stations
because HTV is being financed through subscriber fees, and the time
limit for advertisements on HTV should be regulated in line with the
model applied in Germany, Mikelic said.
The NUT believes that regional HTV centres should not advertise
local advertisers, because that right belongs to concessionaires,
and besides, advertisements on HTV are 70 per cent cheaper, which is
the percentage covered with subscriber fees, Mikelic said.
According to him, this is how unfair competition is being generated
both on the local and the national level.
That is why Romano Bolkovic of Zagreb's OTV station proposes that,
if HTV cannot prevent its own commercialisation, local TV stations
be allocated part of the money from subscriber fees.
If the amendments are not adopted, the NUT warns that practically
all local TV stations in Croatia will be forced to stop airing their
programmes in six months at the latest.
(hina) jn rml