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The Communications Act 2003 established a new unified regulator for communications, Ofcom (see IRIS 2003-8: 10). The Act requires Ofcom to draw up a code for television and radio which covers standards in programmes, sponsorship, fairness and privacy, replacing the six codes of its predecessor bodies (sec. 319). The Code also gives continuing effect to the content requirements of the Television Without Frontiers Directive (see Appendix 2 of the Code). The new Code has now been published and comes into force on 25 July 2005. The matters it covers are: Protecting the Under-Eighteens, Harm and Offence,...

In March 2005, the 7^th European Ministerial Conference on Mass Media Policy was held in Kyiv (Ukraine). Its central theme was: “Integration and diversity: the new frontiers of European media and communications policy”. It led to the adoption of a Political Declaration, three Resolutions on the Conference's main themes, an Action Plan and a Resolution on the media in Ukraine. The Political Declaration welcomed the activities carried out by the Council of Europe in the media field since the previous Ministerial Conference on Mass Media Policy in Cracow in June 2000. It sketched the priority...

Two years after it was set up, the Kommission für Jugendschutz der Landesmedienanstalten (Youth Protection Commission of the regional media authorities - KJM) published an activity report at the beginning of April 2005. Since being established in 2003, the KJM has identified a total of 49 infringements of the provisions of the Jugendmedienschutz-Staatsvertrag (Inter-State Agreement on youth protection in the media - JMStV) in the programmes of private broadcasters. More than half of the 91 complaints it has dealt with have therefore been upheld. At present, the courts are examining the programme...

According to a programme analysis currently being conducted on behalf of the Gemeinsame Stelle Programm, Werbung und Medienkompetenz (Joint Body on programming, advertising and media competence - GSPWM) of the Landesmedienanstalten (regional media authorities), ring tones are the subject of the overwhelming majority of advertisements broadcast by the four music channels in Germany. In some cases, more than 90% of airtime that can be used for advertising is devoted exclusively to this type of product. At its meeting of 16 March 2005, the Joint Body also concluded that two of the broadcasters had,...

The Flemish government has taken the initiative of reorganising the authorities currently licensing and/or supervising radio- and television broadcasting, cable networks and radio- and television services in the Flemish Community. The idea is to unite the existing authorities into one agency, the Vlaamse Regulator voor de Media (Flemish Regulator for the Media - FRM).The draft bill integrates the competences of the Vlaams Commissariaat voor de Media (Flemish Media Authority), the Vlaamse Geschillenraad voor Radio en Televisie (Flemish Council of Disputes for Radio and Television) and the Vlaamse...