01. 06. 2009

ANEM PROPOSALS FOR FEE REDUCTION AND IMPROVEMENT OF ECONOMIC POSITION OF BROADCASTERS

In Serbia, local stations are fighting hard to survive in the under-developed and hyper-competitive media market, with 467 legal broadcasting licenses. More over, in the last months local media are facing the impacts of the economic crisis, which are additionally aggravating their position. As it is unofficially presumed, it is expected that advertising revenues will reduce for 50% in 2009. Beside tough competition, stations’ budgets are additionally burdened with obligatory taxation (18% of VAT for each service) and compulsory fees, charged by RBA and RATEL and collective societies, SOKOJ and OFPS. Comparing to similar obligations in neighbor countries (e.g. Bosnia or Croatia), Serbia has, by far, the highest broadcasting fees and these fees complicate the relations between broadcasters and regulatory bodies and collective societies. Internal surveys, conducted in February and May among ANEM stations, showed that the broadcasters were significantly overloaded by the level of compulsory fees.

Urged by requests of its member stations, ANEM engaged a series of activities, aiming for the fee reduction, through the implementation of the project entitled “Advocating for sustainability of local media: reduction of broadcasting and copyright and related rights fees“, supported by USAID and IREX Serbia. ANEM, among others, organized two round tables - the first with representatives of regulatory agencies and the second with representatives of SOKOJ and OFPS. Besides, reduction of compulsory fees was part of the ANEM suggestions within working group of Ministry of Culture, in charge of drafting the proposals of anti-crisis measures for electronic media.

Wishing to pay attention of media public and authorities to problems of media outlets and necessity for urgent action, ANEM, from the start of the year, advocated for the benefit of its stations and other media outlets. On each public meeting and through all other advocacy activities, ANEM spoke out its suggestions and demands regarding assistance to media for overcoming financial crisis impact. ANEM efforts to reduce the fees are aimed to increasing of financial capacity and sustainability of media outlets, partial diminishing of the financial crisis impact and more favorable and dependable conditions at the media market.

Key points of the ANEM suggestions for fee reduction and improvement of position of broadcasters are the following:

1. Reduction (at least for 50%) of the fees   charged by RBA, for broadcasting, and RATEL, for frequency usage.
2. Adjust the deadlines for payment of the fees to the conditions of economic crisis
3. Consistent appliance of law provisions regarding the criteria of program concept and population size in the area covered by the signal, for proper determination of RBA’s fees
4. To take legal measures toward local self-governments that are funding the local media without broadcasting license
5. Closure of  pirate stations which jeopardize, in several ways, the legal broadcasters
6. Finance the local media not according to the ownership criteria, but according to the program content 
7. Reduce the unreasonable tariffs of collective societies and stipulate the unique tax for copyright and related rights
8. Separation of broadcasting infrastructure from PBS into a separate company
9. More appropriate allotment of advertising incomes between PBS and local broadcasters (according to the Law, PBS is entitled to only 6 minutes for advertising per our, on both channels - 3 minutes on each);  forbid interruption of the program with commercials

ANEM will continue, through direct meetings and advocating for fee reduction, to ensure the improvement of the status of its members and other broadcasters, as well.