BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

27/01/2006

EC to launch broadcasting project in Belarus

by Ben Tanner

The European Commission (EC) has selected a media consortium to undertake a ?2m broadcasting project in Belarus. The goal of the project is to increase access in Belarus to independent sources of news and information.

The consortium is led by Media Consulta of Germany and includes implementing partners from Poland (European Radio for Belarus), Lithuania (Radio Baltic Wave), Belarus (journalists and NGOs) and Russia (RTVI). Content from these partners will be broadcast via satellite from Germany into Belarus.

The two-year project will cover radio and TV broadcasts, internet, support to the Belarussian written press and training of journalists.

Broadcasting will be half in Belarussian and half in Russian. The first TV broadcasts are scheduled to begin in February. The EC wants to have the programme in full force before the presidential election on 19 March. Special live programming will be broadcast on radio and TV before and after the elections.

Independent journalists in Belarus have reportedly faced increasing difficulties in recent years. The state-owned electronic and print media are under tight administrative control by the federal government. Directors of TV and radio stations and editors-in-chief of state-run newspapers are appointed directly by the President of Belarus.

The EU project follows on a smaller broadcasting project currently underway, which was implemented by Deutsche Welle with an investment of ?138,000. In 2005, the EU earmarked ?8.7m for support of democracy and human rights in Belarus.

Source:

http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=12971

Google
 


Partners:
Face.by Social Network
Face.by