Republic of Türkiye

[TR] RTÜK Forces Closure of 11 Doğan Media Group Channels

IRIS 2009-1:1/33

Anne Yliniva-Hoffmann

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

In a decision of 27 October 2008, the Radio ve Televizyon Üst Kurulu (Turkish broadcasting regulator -RTÜK) ordered the closure of various TV channels, including a total of 11 channels forming part of the digital D-SMART service, which belongs to the Doğan Media Group.

The regulator based its decision on the fact that the broadcasters concerned had either failed to apply for their respective licences to be renewed or had submitted incomplete renewal applications. As a result, the channels have ceased broadcasting without a valid licence.

According to media reports, this explanation was rejected by the parties concerned, who accused the RTÜK of deliberately ignoring licence applications submitted over a two-year period in order to put pressure on the channel owners.

The RTÜK denied this accusation in a further statement and pointed out that licences had been granted to a total of 10 channels forming part of the D-SMART service and owned by the Doğan Media Group. It added that licences had also been refused for channels that did not form part of the D-SMART service. It had therefore not deliberately discriminated against the Doğan Media Group. Furthermore, the channels that had been closed down had been asked to complete or amend their applications and had failed to do so.

According to a statement, the RTÜK is considering legal action against the broadcasters concerned, while media reports suggest that opposition politicians are preparing a lawsuit against the RTÜK president.