Today, June 11th, 2018, at the premises of the Audiovisual Media Authority, AMA was held a meeting upon the request of representatives of the main private televisions in the country.
The meeting was focused on the preliminary discussion on their proposal for a change in the law no. 97/2013 “On audiovisual media in the Republic of Albania”. This proposal, is intended to support the financial support of television broadcasters through the creation of a broadcasting fund.
During the meeting there were discussions about the usefulness of this proposal and the importance of such funding for private medias.
Mr. Aleksandr Frangaj, General Director of the National Television Klan, said the proposal comes from the media association and most private television stations. This idea is not new, but it is the return of the proposal made in 2012, which required the creation and incorporation of the “broadcasting fund” in Law 97/2013 “On audio and audiovisual media in the Republic of Albania,” he explained.
The fund that is proposed to be used for private TV support, is proposed to be derived from the service fee for the use of the television receiver. The application of advanced technologies in the audiovisual market has increased costs and has reduced advertising revenue, and this fund is expected to have an impact on market balancing.
Mr. Irfan Hysenbelliu, President of the Television News 24, said he fully supports this idea and that this practice comes from the European experience, which is already proven to be successful.
Ms. Ilva Tare, Director at Ora News, emphasized that, as private media perform a public service, this law will ensure and improve media quality and credibility to the public.
Mr. Carlo Bollino from Report TV estimated that the law is also a guarantee for investigative journalism, promoting media freedom and increasing the fight against fake news.
Mr. Ben Blushi, General Director of the National Television, Top Channel, said that this draft law is already consulted and he tends to eventually fine-tune three important aspects: the television report on the media market, their report to the public and assures integration of an Ethics Board near any media. This board undertakes to fight the false news. This project for Mr. Blushi increases media independence and has all the reasons to be approved as soon as possible.
AMA’s Chairman, Mr. Gentian Sala, praised the institution’s partnership with market operators, evaluating any proposals and initiatives that come from interest groups. This proposal involves some issues and requires the engagement of as many stakeholders in consultations, he ensured that it will have maximum attention during the relevant discussion and decision-making by the AMA Board.
