Search results : 244

Recently, the Bulgarian Parliament adopted amendments to the Zakon za Radioto I Televiziata (Bulgarian Law on Radio and Television - LRT). They came into force in October 2000. The amendments concern several key aspects of LRT, some of which are connected with the initial disputes over the very adoption of the LRT several years ago (see IRIS 1999-1: 8, IRIS 1998-9: 1 and IRIS 1998-9: 10-11). Firstly, through changes made to the provisions contained in Articles 3, 5, and 6 LRT, sole traders are now included in the list of subjects entitled by the Law to undertake radio and television activities....

The Law on Amendments of the Penal Code (see IRIS 2000-3: 14), which had been vetoed by the President, was changed and re-voted by Parliament on 8 March 2000 and promulgated and published in the State Gazette on 17 March. Three days after its promulgation the Law entered into force. The amendments of the Penal Code's provisions had been the subject of heated debate in the media and in Parliament because of their impact on the journalistic profession. The President vetoed the initial Draft Law on Amendments because of the inclusion of high fines that appeared excessive and disproportionate to the...

The Supreme Administrative Court heard an appeal by Media Broadcasting Services against the Decision of the Council of the Ministers to grant Balkan News Corporation the telecommunications license for the first Bulgarian private television station. The Court rejected the appeal of the private broadcaster who had competed for the telecommunications license. Balkan News Corporation had won the competition for a telecommunications license for the first private national TV channel (see IRIS 2000-1: 7). The National Council on Radio and Television also granted programme licenses to three of the competitors:...

The President of the Republic of Bulgaria vetoed the Draft Law concerning the Amendment of the Penal Code. The public discussion of the proposed amendments centered mainly on the changes in the provisions of Chapter VII of the Penal Code regulating "offence" and "calumny" and in particular those parts of the provisions that relate directly to the rights of journalists and freedom of speech in Bulgaria. The current Penal Code specifies penalties of up to two years imprisonment or fines ranging from 1000 to 5000 old Bulgarian leva (the equivalent of 1 to 5 DEM) for an "offence" made in public, transmitted...

More than ten years after the fall of the Berlin wall, Bulgaria is about to get its first private television channel with nation-wide coverage. The licensed operator of this channel will be Balkan News Corporation, a company financed by Rupert Murdoch. The new television station will broadcast on the frequency of Efir 2, currently the state television's second channel. According to Bulgarian law, broadcasters have to apply for two different licenses. The so-called program license, is issued by the National Council on Radio and Television (NCRT), an independent body of experts. The second one,...