Search results : 92

In recent months Latvian politicians have initiated active discussions on the necessity to merge the Latvian public broadcasting companies, Latvijas Radio and Latvijas televīzija. Currently, both public broadcasters are legally independent entities with their own budgets and management. Now, the Prime Minister has requested the National Broadcasting Council, the Latvian media regulator, to draft a merger plan before 1 July 2009 and submit it to the government for discussion. The merger proposal has its roots in the sad fact that both public broadcasters are in a serious financial situation and...

In May 2009 Latvian commercial broadcasters pointed out that the legality of the annual broadcasting license fees may be challenged. The broadcasters claim that there is no valid legal basis for the specific amount of the fees, as the relevant legal acts have lost their force for several years already. The Radio and TV Law provides that commercial broadcasters must pay an annual broadcasting license fee in the amount specified by the regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers (CoM). Thus, the Law obliges the broadcasters to make the payment for the license, but delegates to the CoM the duty to decide...

On 26 February 2009 the Latvian Saeima (the Parliament) reviewed in second reading amendments to the Law on Press and Other Mass Media. The amendments were initially planned to address a minor issue on the payment of a State fee for the registration of media in the Registry of Mass Media. However, after the first reading the Ministry of Justice submitted a new proposal for the amendments, which immediately caused serious concerns over threats to media freedom. The proposal suggested that the Law on Press and Other Mass Media should provide stricter rules for publishing and discussing materials...

On 15 January 2009 Saeima (the Parliament) adopted amendments to laws governing pre-election campaigns: the Law on Pre-Election Campaigns before the Elections of Saeima and the European Parliament and the Law on Pre-Election Campaigns before the Municipal Elections. The amendments seek to address the loopholes in the financing of election campaigns discovered in the last Saeima election campaign (in 2006), as well as to specify the duties of broadcasters within the election campaigns. The amendments state that the period for pre-election campaigns starts 120 days before the election. Hitherto...

The National Broadcasting Council of Latvia (NBCL) has finalised the process of drafting a new Audio and Audiovisual Media Services Law (Draft Law), which is planned to replace the Radio and Television Law currently in force (see IRIS 2008-6: 13). The Draft Law applies to providers of audio and audiovisual media services under the jurisdiction of Latvia who provide their services in public electronic communication networks, notwithstanding the mode of transmission. The Draft Law uses substantially different terminology from the existing Radio and Television Law. The terminology corresponds to...