TRM ordered to present business plan for 2011 by January 25

The Broadcasting Coordination Council (BCC) instructed the national public broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova (TRM) to present the business plan for 2011 on January 25 at the latest. The company was to render its program by the end of last year, said the Councils' chairman Gheorghe Gorincioi. In its January 14 meeting, the BCC considered penalizing TRM for not presenting the plan on time. In the end, the Council set a deadline by which the broadcaster is to make public its business plan, approved by the TRM's Supervisory Board. “As the business plan for 2011 was not approved, Teleradio-Moldova works illegally. No matter what the causes for the delay are – the elections, referendum, appointment of the new administration of the broadcaster – the plan was to be approved by the end of last December,” said Gheorghe Gorincioi. He also said that the BCC may have delayed the presentation of the plan because the legislative body has not yet approved the budget for 2011. He criticized the head of the Supervisory Board Eugeniu Rybka for not coming to the Council's meeting to explain the situation. The members of the BCC said this is not the first time that the public broadcaster did not present the business plan on time. In 2010, it was also submitted with delay. Radio Moldova director Alexandru Dorogan explained that Teleradio-Moldova wants to present a well thought out plan and needs time for this. He said talks are being conducted with the Ministry of Finance, while the business plan for 2011 is to be examined and submitted to the Supervisory Board for approval.