The director-general of the EBU, Noel Curran, has criticized European politicians for using financing to exert control over public service media. Speaking at a panel session at NEM Zagreb, Curran highlighted the significant political pressure faced by broadcasters. “They are becoming much more direct in how they exert that control. Funding issues often accompany this type of pressure because funding is frequently used as leverage: “You do this, or you don’t get your funding.””
Croatia’s Minister Of Culture and Media, Nina Obuljen Koržinek, announced that the government was exploring a ‘third way’ between a licence fee and a government settlement. This prompted Natalija Gorscak, President of the Board, RTV Slovenia, to express her desire to adopt any successful alternative model, given her government's 12-year hold on the licence fee. “We have survived right wing attacks on public media, financially exhausted, but now looking to work within a new law,” she stated.
Curran discussed various funding options available to governments for public service media, including subscription models (previously proposed in the UK but abandoned), taxation (as used in Finland and Sweden), and household charges (adopted in Germany). “We don’t pick one, but the state budget is most risky, once you have a government that doesn’t interfere and then that government changes.”
Robert Šveb, General Director, Croatian Radiotelevision, noted that HRT maintains strong audience engagement and reach, but faces challenges from evolving audience behavior and is also exploring new financing models.