European broadcasters face political ‘counter-reformation’

Media News - Friday, March 20, 2009

European broadcasters face political ‘counter-reformation’

Broadcasting across Europe, particularly in the east but also in Italy, is undergoing a 'counter-reformation' - a backsliding towards overt political control after the post-Cold War period, when leaders relaxed their grip on TV and radio, warns a new report. In a survey of the European broadcasting landscape presented in Brussels on Wednesday, the Open Society Institute found that many public broadcasters are heading into the economic crisis deeply underfunded and unable to meet public service requirements, while political elites are returning to appointing partisan allies to key positions, secure in the knowledge that no penalties from the EU await them for doing so. 'Professionals are being replaced by loyal mediocrities,' the document says, adding that the politicisation and lack of funds are undermining quality cultural content and critical journalism. 'You could call it a sort of 'counter-reformation',' said Mark Thompson of the Open Society Foundation Media Programme when presenting the report. 'Why refrain from exercising political control over these very important institutions when there are no penalties?' The European Commission comes in for criticism for not holding new EU member states to account after promises concerning media freedom were made ahead of accession. The re-politicisation of public service media is clearest in Poland, Romania and Slovakia, the report says, but is also evident in Lithuania and elsewhere. But eastern Europe - both EU member states and beyond - is not alone in the report's gallery of rogues. The situation of broadcasting in Italy is also condemned as 'a dark farce.' (EU Observer)

Comissão Europeia acaba com os monopólios territoriais das Sociedades de Direito de Autor

Uma das medidas importantes para o desenvolvimento do sector cultural era acabar com o excessivo controlo territorial realizado por cada sociedade de autores no seu próprio país e permitir a liberdade de escolha pela situação mais favorável:

Commission decides about music copyrights managers

Despite strong arguments against from the sector, the European Commission decided to ban certain copyright handling practices.

The Commission claims this move is in the interest of authors, who will be free to select Europe's cheapest and most efficient collecting society.

The commissioner also wants some territorial restrictions to be banned, notably those preventing collecting societies from offering licenses to commercial users outside their domestic territory. This practice brings with it burdensome administrative procedures for broadcasters, such as online or satellite media, which act at European level.

The decision applies immediately but does not involve the imposition of fines on the collecting societies it targets. They have now 120 days to inform the Commission about the implementation of the measures requested.

Fonte: Eurozine da European Music Office