HRT COUNCIL DISCUSSES NEW PROGRAMME CONCEPT

ZAGREB, Sept 27 (Hina) - Members of the Croatian Radio-Television (HRT) Council on Monday discussed the new concept of the television programme "3x24", which will be broadcast as of October 1, offering viewers 24 hours of programme on all three TV channels. Discussed at today's session was also a proposal on HRT programme rules on covering elections, which was drawn up by a HRT working group and which, it was said, would be sent as working material to the Croatian National Sabor. The religious programme envisaged by the new concept caused a heated debate. A member of the HRT Council, Drago Krpina, refused speculation about HRT's currying favour with the Catholic church by expanding its religious programme. Krpina suggested a meeting between representatives of the Catholic church and other religious communities with HTV's editor-in-chief and the editor-in-chief of the religious programme to discuss the issue. Today's session of the HRT Council was monitored by European media experts - the general director of the European Institute for the Media, Berndt Peter Lange, the General Director of the Irish television, Bob Collins, and the coordinator for the European media project, Benedicte Berner. (hina) jn rml