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On 9 March 2006 the Saeima (Parliament of the Republic of Latvia) adopted in the second reading a draft law, prohibiting any political advertising in electronic media within 90 days before the elections to the Saeima and the European Parliament. Initially it was proposed that political advertising within 90 days before the elections should be prohibited in all the media. However, at the sitting of 9 March 2006 Saeima decided that the prohibition with respect to the printed media should be deleted from the draft. Thus, the prohibition would apply only to radio, television, and outdoor advertisements....

On 26 October 2005 the Saeima (Parliament of the Republic of Latvia) adopted amendments to the Act on Press and Other Mass Media. This Act is one of the first Laws adopted in Latvia after the regain of independence. It was adopted on 20 December 1990 and is still in force as the general Law applicable to all kinds of mass media. This Act is also the only Law regulating the printed media, as the electronic media are governed by the special Radio and Television Law as well. Initially the amendments were planned to be of a formal nature: to bring the out-of-date wording and terminology of the law...

Recently one of the private TV channels in Latvia - TV5 (the other private channels being TV3 and LNT) has fully changed its shareholders. The change has been accompanied by rumors and guesses in local press and media regarding the persons behind the new shareholders. As from 2 September 2005 the channel is owned by two companies registered in Latvia: Belokon News SIA (30%) and TVBerlin SIA (70%). Belokon News SIA is a company owned by a Latvian citizen, indirectly also owning one of the biggest daily newspapers published in Latvia in the Russian language, the Telegraf. The majority shareholder,...

Saeima, the Parliament of Latvia, is planning to make a short, but important amendment to the Radio and Television law, stipulating that the prohibition of harmful content is in force in the period between 07.00 - 24.00, instead of the current period of 07.00 - 22.00. The existing regulation is as follows: Article 18 section 4 of Radio and Television Act envisages that ”[B]roadcasting organisations may not distribute programmes and broadcasts with such content as may be harmful to the normal physical, mental and moral development of children and adolescents, except in cases when a specific broadcasting...

Since the beginning of 2004 two new legislative acts in the media field are being drafted in Latvia. The Radio and Television Law and a new Public Service Broadcasting Law are intended to replace the existing Radio and Television Law of 1995. However, because this issue is both politically and economically sensitive (regarding the legal status and powers of the regulatory authority and the financing of public service broadcasters), the drafting has still to be completed. Currently the drafts initially prepared by the Saeima (Parliament) Commission on Human Rights and Social Issues are dealt with...