RTV OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA SETS UP NEW RELAYS ILLEGALLY

SARAJEVO, Sept 15 (Hina) - The Independent Media Commission (IMC) on Wednesday said the RTV BiH (Radio and Television of Bosnia- Herzegovina) had spread its network of relays without necessary licences and thus breached a moratorium on new frequencies, announced by the former International High Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Carlos Westendorp. The IMC Director-General Krister Thelin ordered therefore to the RTV BiH to switch off all newly-established relay stations by September 19 and to pay 1,000 German marks of a fine for the violation of regulations. According to an IMC statement, in May the RTV BiH informed the Independent Commission of its intention to install 20 new relays to ensure better coverage by the second channel. Although the Commission warned that radio and television house that it would break the existent regulation with such an act, the RTV BiH nonetheless installed them. Besides (Bosnian Croat) Erotel and the RTV of the Republic of Srpska, RTV BiH is the only major electronic media that has not received a licence for broadcasting programmes pursuant to new rules issued by the IMC. The RTV BiH should stop operating by the end of this year, and its infrastructure should be taken over by new public radio and television at the Bosnian state level, namely the RTV of Bosnia's Croat-Moslem Federation which should use the existent frequencies of the Sarajevo-based radio and television house. (hina) ms