Finland

[FI] A Strategy Report on Broadcasting in the Digital Era

IRIS 1996-1:1/29

Ad van Loon

European Audiovisual Observatory

In the Autumn of 1995 the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communication commissioned a strategy report on how to develop national broadcasting, both radio and television, in the digital broadcasting environment. The report was published on 5 January 1996. The report was produced by Mr Jouni Mykkänen, former viceDirector-General of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE), and who recently was nominated as Director of the Finnish Film Foundation.

After the August 1995 approval of the frequency bands for terrestrial digital radio broadcasting in the European countries, an unused national radio frequency in Finland remains available for analogue broadcasting without hindering from a technical point of view, future digital broadcasts. The report proposes to reserve this analoque frequency for allocation to Finland's first national private commercial radio broadcaster. Digitalisation of television broadcasting in conformity with the international standard that was approved in December 1995, could start in the near future in a currently unused frequency band. The report recommends that a second national private commercial television broadcasting licence is granted to an operator who is ready and capable to invest in the digitalisation of broadcasting.

The report urges the Finnish Government to make a decision in principle on the establishment of a national network of transmitters for digital radio and television signals. This digitilisation, according to the report, should not be supported by state funding. The report suggests that the network of digital transmitters would be built by YLE in collaboration with the future private commercial operators.

Moreover, the report suggests that the national media strategy should incorporate two main principles: firstly, assurance of the capacity of the national broadcaster YLE to continue to fulfil its statutory public service mission; secondly, actively granting broadcasting licences to private commercial radio and television broadcasters.