Special Issue Tuesday June 5th AD 2012 Free copy CONTRARY TO EU STANDARDS, THE GOVERNMENT OF POLAND FENCES OFF FREEDOM OF SPEECH STOP FROM MILLIONS OF ITS CITIZENS DISCRIMINATION Radio Maria and Television and in their description of reality aches out to listeners all around ideology, and became the voice Trwam are truly exceptional in are guided by the criteria of righ- the world. It serves a multi-mil- of Poles, the voice of Catholics the Polish media market domi- teousness, beauty and truth. As lion audience, integrating people who for many years had been de- nated by large groups with capi- the contribution of Radio Mary- around the mission of new evan- prived of the opportunity for a tal links to international con- ja and Television Trwam in rebu- gelisation, strengthening faith modern means of communica- cerns. Firstly, they are backed by ilding the democratic founda- and consolidating the national tion. Soon, Radio Maryja proved no foreign capital and are fully tions for a free Poland and cre- identity. The founder and direc- to be a great success, as people maintained with the donations ating media governance is unde- tor of the radio – Rev. Tadeusz had been waiting for the kind of coming from their loyal listeners niable, so Rydzyk message which would provide ob- and viewers. Secondly, they are greater is C.Ss.R., jective information while guiding Poland's first interactive media the public people have signed Ph.D – re- their minds and hearts in accor- created with the participation of outrage protest letters to the solved to dance with the principles of the listeners and viewers, lending vo- triggered 2.2 National Broadcasting create a wi- Catholic faith and Polish tradi- ice to circles excluded from pu- by the arbi- Council against the reless sta- tion. Despite difficulties with the blic debate. These media engage trary deci- tion on 10th authorities and attacks from circ- in many activities for the com- sion to de- discrimination of February les hostile to the Church, Radio mon good and have become a ny Televi- mln Television Trwam 1990 while Maryja was developing dynami- platform for building a commu- sion Trwam visiting the cally, inspiring the emergence of nity of people who feel responsi- a place in the digital multiplex Shrine of Divine Mercy in Kra- subsequent ventures, notably the ble for public life. Thirdly, Tele- and discrimination against the ków-¸agiewniki, and Radio Ma- daily newspaper Nasz Dziennik vision Trwam and Radio Maryja Catholic broadcaster by the cur- ryja began broadcasting on 8th [Our Journal] and the College of are media with a strong, distinct rent government. December 1991 from its headqu- Social and Media Culture in To- identity and an alternative to the Radio Maryja is a Polish nation- arters in Toruƒ. It effectively bro- ruƒ. The year 2003 saw the laun- A. KULESZA FOT. dominant left-liberal discourse. wide Catholic radio station ke the monopoly in the media, ching of Television Trwam [which The actions of the National They offer reliable, objective, owned by the Warsaw Province up to this time reserved for just means “I persist”] – the only Ca- Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) amount non-manipulated information of the Redemptorist Order. It re- one option subscribing to liberal tholic television station. to gagging the voice of Catholics www.naszdziennik.pl MUFFLED BY THE LICENCES FOR REVIEW AT ODDS TV TRWAM AKIN GOVERNMENT WITH THE LAW TO SOLIDARITY The decision of the National To oust, to slander, to tatter a good Broadcasting Council, rather than The National Broadcasting Council The atmosphere during our marches name, not to give room in the digital enhance pluralism in the media, violates the recommendations of the is reminiscent of a memorable multiplex platform – all this is an reinforced the oligarchic character of European Commission on digital August 1980, when "Solidarity" came element of the fight against the Church, the media market dominated by the media use. into being. says Rev. Tadeusz Rydzyk C.Ss.R., Ph.D, left-liberal orientation. director of Radio Maryja. VI III II IV-V Tuesday II June 5th, 2012 STOP DISCRIMINATION naszdziennik.pl Deprived of the media The market of electronic commer- with the Polsat concern and the long, both the Sejm and the Senate cial media in Poland is in effect an other (Stavka) is currently 51-per- will debate and vote on the Annu- oligopoly formed in the 1990s, cent owned by TVN. The other al Report of the National Broad- when the two national television two places were taken by Eska and casting Council. The digitisation frequencies were given to the own- Lemon Records, companies of the problems are growing serious, as ers of the Polsat and TVN brands. ZPR Capital Group associated the first deadline for the analogue Today, the companies associated with the Democratic Left Alliance broadcast deactivation is with these stations also control (SLD). These political connec- approaching. There are legitimate additional channels, satellite plat- tions also correspond to the politi- concerns that due to the lack of forms, mobile telephony, Internet cal composition of the National public aid to 1.5 million of the networks, and even a cinema Broadcasting Council. poorest families and lack of a chain. The liberal Civic Platform "It's the ninth time that I am proper information campaign, a (PO) remaining in power since answering questions on TV considerable proportion of the 2007 may certainly count the main Trwam", complained Jan Dworak, population will be permanently media moguls amongst its sup- President of the National Broad- excluded from media access when porters. The largest private televi- casting Council, at a meeting of analogue TV is eventually sion stations do not seem to per- the Parliamentary Committee on switched off. Public media are fac- form the checking function, which Culture and Media. Indeed, the ing bankruptcy due to the total col- is so important in democracy. The digitisation scandal dominated the lapse of their funding and the lack programmes they offer are com- proceedings of the lower and of any initiative on the part of the FOT. R. SOBKOWICZ R. FOT. mercial in nature, and the views upper chambers of the Polish par- government to address this prob- Jan Dworak, President of the National Broadcasting Council, which has and customs promoted on air are liament (Sejm and Senate) from lem. Each of these issues is direct- denied a spot in MUX-1 to Television Trwam hardly acceptable for Catholics January to May 2012. As many as ly related to the issue of the dis- and traditionally-minded audi- ten several hour-long meetings of crimination of Television Trwam. ences. the Committee on Culture and The massive demand for the The digitisation of terrestrial tel- Media were devoted exclusively to right to development television evision seemed to promise the this subject, including four joint that would serve truth and the Distribution of spots in digital multiplex platforms long-awaited pluralism of owner- sessions with the Committee on good upbringing of human society ship and a wide ideological spec- State Control. Add to this the is a new phenomenon in the histo- MUX-1 MUX-2 trum. Sadly, this did not happen. meetings of the Committee on ry of the media. Many media TV Channel Capital links to TV Channel Capital links to The ruling PO failed to propose a Innovation and New Technologies experts in the world today say that POLSAT bill deactivating analogue televi- dedicated to digital television the future and survival of the POLO TV SPORT NEWS sion for four years, which put exist- which also turned into several media depends on broadcasters ESKA TV ing terrestrial broadcasters in a hours of debate on discrimination which are supported by a strong TV4 strong bargaining position. They against Catholic television. The community of viewers. Rather TV6 held multi-annual licences for ana- Senate Committee on Culture dis- than seize this opportunity, the T-TV logue transmission and so were cussed the decision of the Nation- Polish ruling elite opts to consoli- POLSAT able to block the disconnection of al Broadcasting Council on two date the existing setup of the the traditional television signal. In occasions with questions to Presi- media market. ATM TV PULS ROZRYWKA TV consequence, they managed to dent Dworak asked by senators as TV PULS2 double their holdings and take well as MPs. control of the entire Multiplex 2, It is hard to imagine that MPs TVP1 TVN7 which has the broadcasting capac- would not require any explanation Barbara TVP2 ity of eight television channels. In on the issue effectively defining the Bubula TVP INFO TVN this context, the hope for breaking new media order in Poland and the the existing monopoly focuses on place of Catholic media within this MUX-3 MUX-4 the four remaining vacant spots on new setup. The more debates and Multiplex 1. Two of these were meetings took place, the more Reserved for TVP assigned to companies formed by shocking facts came into light. The author is a Polish MP (the PiS party (Polish Television) mobile television producers, one of which The road for further action in – Law and Justice), 2007-2010 a member of (ATM Group) has capital links the parliament is still open. Before the National Broadcasting Council. At odds with the law National Broadcasting he restriction of Televi- The constitutional body set up mit itself to an audit by the Supre- 3 October 2010), as well as respon- sion Trwam's access to to protect the public interest in the me Chamber of Control, the con- sibilities imposed on the NBC by Council granted mass, often low-income, audiovisual sphere, i.e.