Germany

[DE] Amendment of Transmission Time Directive

IRIS 2005-2:1/15

Kathrin Berger

Institute of European Media Law (EMR), Saarbrücken/Brussels

At their meetings in December 2004, the Landeszentrale für private Rundfunkveranstalter Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate Regional Office for Private Broadcasters - LPR) and the Media Council of the Bayerische Landeszentrale für neue Medien (Bavarian New Media Office - BLM) approved the amendment of the Drittsendezeitrichtlinie (Third-Party Transmission Time Directive - DSZR). The DSZR regulates the conditions under which the private TV broadcasters SAT 1 and RTL must make transmission time available to independent third parties. The amendment concerns the provisions for regional programmes in Art. 3.5 DSZR. If the broadcasters themselves transmit regional programmes of a certain length, they must now offer 180 minutes rather than 260 minutes of airtime per week to independent third parties. The new provisions are meant to clarify the criteria for the classification of a programme as a regional programme. At least 20 minutes of total transmission time must be devoted to editorially produced content on political, economic, social and cultural themes from the region. An average of at least 10 minutes per week must be news-related content. Programmes must be devised, produced and presented in the region concerned. The draft amendment also stresses that the main broadcaster must finance the regional programme window. Nevertheless, the regional programme must remain editorially independent of the main channel. The amended DSZR will not enter into force until all the Land media authorities have approved it.