Slovenia

[SI] RTV Viewer and Listener Ombudswoman's Demand on Cartoons Programming

IRIS 2009-1:1/31

Renata Šribar

Faculty for Social Sciences at the University of Ljubljana and Centre for Media Politics of the Peace Institute, Ljubljana

The public service Radio and Television Slovenia (RTV) has established a Viewer and Listener Ombudsman in June 2007 and the person in charge was appointed to this position on 1 May 2008. At the end of November 2008 the Ombudswoman made the first public complaint related to the radio and television programming. She opposed the change of the broadcasting time of the children’s cartoons, which was stable for decades.

On 17 November 2008 Television Slovenia started a new format -a telenovela titled ”Passions” which has been produced in-house. Like Mexican and Columbian telenovelas on the Slovenian commercial channels, it is broadcast before the central TV news at 7 p.m.. As a consequence the cartoons for children had to be scheduled earlier.

The Viewer and Listener Ombudswoman reported that she had received over sixty complaints from viewers. She communicated this information to the media. A public debate developed and the governmental Office of the Ombudsman also became involved. It is argued that the broadcasting of cartoons at 6.40 pm constituted an important part of evening family life. Specifically, it was contended that young children usually associated the end of the cartoons with their bedtime and, as a result of the re-scheduling, this association was lost. The Ombudswoman argues that family life is very fragile and every intrusion in its routine has to be made with great caution and sensibility. She also stated that research showed a decline in the audience for TV news and that the RTV leadership sought to solve this problem by altering the time at which the news is broadcast.

The Programme standards ( Programski standardi ) issued by the Programme Council of RTV Slovenia ( Programski svet RTV Slovenija ) determined that programming should stimulate a healthy life and environment and that contents which could impair the physical, mental or moral spheres are to be broadcast at an appropriate time.

According to the declared obligations and rights of the Viewer and Listener Ombudswoman which are promoted on the RTV home page, it is within her remit to call attention to different problems and warn against ”delicate” contents. There is no evidence that the RTV administration is obliged to respect her view.