The EBU has written to key decision makers in Brussels to call for joint action to save the Bosnian public service broadcaster BHRT, which as previously reported in Broadband TV News is on the brink of collapse.
In the letter, which was sent a day after Bosnia & Herzegovina formally submitted an application to join the EU, EBU DG Ingrid Deltenre said: “Because of insufficient and insecure funding, its huge debts and the inability to pay its employees (BHRT) is now in total financial collapse. This completely disables its ability to operate and fulfill its role in society”.
She added: “Public service media reflect the quality of national democratic institutions as much as they contribute to them. BHRT, the national public broadcaster, is the only media in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has the mission to reach out to the whole population to inform and entertain – and to promote nation building and social cohesion.
“We are ready to provide professional and legal expertise and to join forces with the European Parliament and the European Commission to support the implementation of EU standards in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s media system. Urgent actions need to be undertaken to ensure the development of sustainable public service media in the country.”
