The Broadcasting Coordination Council (BCC) is asking television service providers to place importance on the interest of the audience when compiling their selection of channels and to notify the Council whenever they modify it. The BCC is also asking TV channels to “stop manipulating” and make “concrete suggestions” if such exist on the proposed decision that will require providers to include certain channels in their offer.

BCC chair Marian Pocaznoi told a news conference today that the draft decision was adopted “in concept” before being distributed for consideration to the audiovisual service providers and media employers' organizations, but no suggestions have been sent back so far to improve the measure.

The draft decision requires providers to include in their selection of channels the following four TV stations: Moldova 1, TV Gagauzia (within the autonomy's range), the Romanian national broadcaster TVR, based on an agreement with Romania, and TV 5, based on an intergovernmental agreement. The providers must also include the TV channels that are under Moldova's jurisdiction and have nationwide coverage, as well as over-the-air TV channels that operate within the range of the provider. In both cases the condition is that the content is offered for free to the provider.

The draft decision also requires providers to offer at least one TV channel broadcasting content for children, one sports channel and one music channel, all of them broadcasting in Romanian.

Responding to allegations by Jurnal TV that it was unfairly excluded from the mandatory grid of channels to be rebroadcast by the providers, Marian Pocaznoi said that no other private post is on that list.

BCC member Mariana Onceanu-Hadirca noted that there are 65 local TV stations in the country and a host of other channels that are rebroadcast. “A provider of TV programs cannot be required to include all the local TV channels if they have a limited number of channels in their offers”, she argued.