The expertise organised by the Council of Europe
in collaboration with the Broadcasting Council of the Czech Republic
was premised on the following considerations:
- The functions, duties etc of the Broadcasting
Council are located in the relevant parent legislation, namely
the Broadcasting Act of 1991;
- One commercial frequency has been made available
for private operators. So far, a significant number of commercial
companies have made bids to operate on this frequency;
- The possibility exists that one of the frequencies
currently used by the public broadcasting company in the Czech
Republic will be made available to commercial operators. Should
this decision be taken, the broadcasting landscape in the Czech
Republic will be characterised by the presence of, two private
television companies operating on separate frequencies, and the
public broadcasting organisation operating on a third frequency;
- The licensee of the commercial frequency
currently available would be responsible for the technical completion
of the frequency network;
- Should one of the frequencies currently used
by the public broadcasting organisation in the Czech Republic
be deregulated, it is quite likely that the licensee entrusted
with the operation of the frequency would at some stage have to
improve and modernise the network, given the decaying state of
transmitters, etc.
The following criteria have been established
by the Broadcasting Council for the award of the available commercial
frequency:
i. The licensee must be in a position to complete
the network;
ii. The licensee must be in a position to offer
objective and balanced news;
iii. The programme schedule should be diverse;
iv. Support for domestic production in the
programming schedule should be guaranteed;
v. Regional programming must also be assured;
vi. The licensee must demonstrate financial
viability.
Issue No 1:
is it possible for a regulatory authority to attach a condition
to the licence to be awarded so as to oblige the licensee to complete
the network from the technical point of view?
This would seem to be possible in the light
of the experiences of other European regulatory authorities. The
parent legislation of the Czech Broadcasting Council envisages
the latter body making the grant of licences conditional on respect
for a number of speculations in the licence (see section 12.3).
It would thus seem possible for the Broadcasting
Council to proceed in this direction. From the practical point
of view, the Broadcasting Council should embody this condition
in the licence so as to ensure that this condition will always
be foremost in the minds of the licence holder. In the event of
it proving difficult to complete the network on a nationwide basis
as a result of geographical obstacles, consideration might also
be given to various ways in which the "gaps" left by
the inability of terrestrial transmitters to reach the whole of
the country could be filled - for example, via satellite, cable
or microwave delivery.
Careful consideration might be given to the
desirability of allowing the licensee certain period of time to
complete the network, rather than making this an immediate, obligation.
For example, the licence holder could undertake that 70% of the
network will be completed by a particular date, while the total
network will be operational as from a future.
Issue No 2: In what ways should the financial viability of applicants for the frequency be assessed?
Comparative experience suggests that a rigorous
analysis of the financial plan submitted by applicants must be
carried out.
It would seem highly desirable to ask applicants
for further and better particulars of the financial and business
plans which they have submitted. Particular attention should be
given to the support which applicants can expect from banks and
other financial institutions. Direct contact and interviews with
prospective licence holders are an essential part of this investigatory
process. A number of key questions might be put directly to the
applicants concerning:
- how many years will it take the applicant
to reach the break-even point?
- what safeguard measures would an applicant
take in the event of a recession in the advertising market?
- what counter-measures would the applicant
take in the event of a new commercial operator entering the broadcasting
market in the Czech Republic?
- what measures are envisaged in the event
of an increased level in the amount of programme services delivered
into the Czech Republic via satellite?
- how does the applicant intend to attract
advertising and sponsorship?
- how does the applicant see his broadcasting
company evolving over the duration of the licence from the point
of view of technical developments, increase in staff resources,
etc?
- how much of the applicant's programming budget
will be devoted to domestic audiovisual works?
All of these different areas need to be carefully
explored and verified with a view to testing the viability of
applicants for a broadcasting licence. Regulatory authorities
must be their guard against exaggerated financial and business
plans presented by prospective licensees. For this purpose, it
is essential to test their business predictions as meticulously;
possible.
Issue No 3:
In what circumstances may a licence be withdrawn by the regulatory
authority?
As with all such issues, the point of departure
should be the provisions of the parent legislation, since it is
the latter which defines the powers and duties of the regulatory
authority.
As regards Section 15, paragraph 1.d of the
1991 Broadcasting Act of the Czech Republic, the possibility exists
for the licence holder to abandon, unilaterally, the licence which
has been awarded to him. The view was offered in the course of
the seminar that this particular freedom should be curbed and
a legislative amendment should be sought in this regard.
How should a regulatory authority withstand
the pressures which might be exerted by licence holders threatening
to abandon the frequency should the former refuse to modify the
licence conditions? The prevailing view suggests that regulatory
authorities must be prepared to stand up to such threats, basing
themselves on the notion of the public interest and the fact that
a scarce public commodity had been awarded to the licence holder
on the basis of careful examination of the dossier presented by
the latter at the application stage.
It is generally agreed that revocation of a
licence is a drastic measure, and should only be resorted to after
very careful consideration of all of the circumstances. The withdrawal
of a licence upsets the broadcasting landscape, and leaves an
unused frequency in its wake. The regulatory authority should
always reserve to itself the power to modify the conditions of
the licence so as to be able to react to new circumstance and
renegotiate with the licensee.
Issue No 4:
In the event of two frequencies being made available to commercial
operators, what strategy should be followed by the regulatory
authority?
This is an issue which deserves meticulous
attention. Should two private broadcasting companies come on stream
at the same time in a market characterised by immature advertising
and sponsorship prospects, the result could be disastrous for
the continuing viability of these companies. The resources are
simply not present to enable them to be competitive.
Against this background, careful consideration
should be given to the desirability of freezing temporarily the
availability of one of the frequencies so as to ensure that the
first commercial entrant enjoys the possibility to establish itself
on the market. The second frequency could be allocated at a later
stage. The strategy of the regulatory authority should be seen
against the background of an analysis of the various sources of
funding which are available and how these can be exploited by
the commercial broadcasting companies competing on the market:
advertising, sponsorship, subscription television, pay-per-view,
etc. It might indeed be wise to license the second operator on
the basis of his ability to sustain revenue on the basis of subscriptions
to his channel, allowing the first entrant to compete with the
public broadcasting company for advertising and sponsorship revenue.
The ability of two private broadcasting companies
to survive in the market should also be analysed from the point
of view of national and international regulations governing advertising
and sponsorship. Within the European context, there is no longer
an unrestricted exploitation of advertising and sponsorship budgets.
The amount of advertising, as well as representation and content,
are now subject to a regulatory framework. The broadcasting of
the Czech Republic reflects this framework, basing itself on the
relevant provisions of the European Convention on Transfrontier
Television.
Issue No 5:
What strategies should a regulatory authority employ in the event
of an application for a broadcasting licence being submitted by
a foreign-owned enterprise?
This particular issue must be seen in terms
of the impact which such an enterprise, operating a broadcasting
service, would have on the preservation and promotion of Czech
culture. The view has been offered that careful examination must
be made of the dossier presented, by such an applicant at the
application stage, so as to determine whether or not the holder
can:
- open domestic windows at reasonable viewing
times;
- guarantee the broadcasting of quality works
originated in the home market; make use of the production talent
available on the market;
- the extent to which the applicant would be
prepared to ensure that foreign material is dubbed into Czech.
Conditions to this effect should be embodied
in the licence awarded to any enterprise dominated by foreign
capital so as to ensure the preservation and promotion of the
indigenous culture.
Issue No 6:
How can a licence holder be held to the conditions specified in
the licence awarded by the regulatory authority, in particular
as regards the broadcasting *, home-based productions?
It is recognised that in the early days of
broadcasting operations, a commercial operator will find it difficult
to offer a full range service characterised by, inter alia, *itative
and domestic audio-visual productions. To overcome these difficulties,
the view has been offered that the licence conditions in this
regard should not be overly rigorous in the first few years of
broadcasting operations. The franchisee should be given time to
build up his service and reputation and to allow the advertising
and sponsorship market to evolve over these in a way which will
allow him to increase gradually the quality of the service. The
licence conditions could oblige the licensee to report on a regular
basis to the regulatory authority on the progress being made in
extending and improving the quality and domestic * of the programming
schedules.
Issue No 7:
If the parent legislation is silent on the issue of the regulation
of programme material of a pornographic or indecent content, what
steps can be taken by a regulatory authority with regard to material
of this nature?
It is felt that the regulatory authority should
seek solutions to this issue through encouraging broadcasting
organisations to elaborate codes of practice in consultation with
the *. The absence of a specific reference in legislation to the
notion of pornography can be compensated by having recourse to
the basic provisions of the penal law dealing with this particular
area.
Consideration might possibly be given to writing
into the licence various parts of the code of conduct elaborated
by the broadcasting organisation in the form of licence conditions.
Moreover, as regards transfrontier broadcasting operating out
of the territory of the Czech republic specific reference should
be made to the provision of the European Convention on transfrontier
Television.
Issue No 8:
How is it possible to guarantee impartial and balanced presentation
of news and current affairs programmes?
As with Issue No 6, this requirement should
be stated clearly in the licence
to be implied to a broadcasting organisation. The following working
definition of these terms may h ť use to the regulatory authority
in determining whether or not the franchisee is showing respect
for the above-mentioned requirements:
"Objectivity means accurate presentation of news and events
with a perspective; balanced presentation of news and events requires
the possibility of alternative viewpoints being expressed."
Issue No 9:
How is it possible to defend legal challenges to the decisions
taken by the regulatory authority?
Quite simply, the regulatory authority must
stay within the powers attributed to it in the parent legislation.
Its decision-making must respect the procedural and substantive
principles of public law. Care should always be taken to seek
legal advice before decisions are taken which affect the rights
and interests of prospective licensees or current licence holders.
With this in mind, careful consideration should be given to the
need to ensure that the composition of the secretariat of the
regulatory authority reflects a large measure of legal expertise.
Issue No 10:
Should any particular strategies be taken in the event of an advertising
agency being considered for a licence?
Certain countries exclude the possibility of
advertising agencies being awarded a broadcasting licence. Other
countries tolerate the grant of a licence to such bodies. Should
the latter be the case, the underlying consideration should be
the continuing need to ensure traditional independence of the
broadcaster vis-a-vis possible commercial pressures exerted by
the advertising agency controlling the broadcasting company.
Rada České republiky pro rozhlasové a televizní vysílání
| Odbor monitoringu a programové analýzy | Formulář č 1a |
Provozovatel:
| Pořad: | Den: | Hodina: |
| číslo § | hodnocení | |
| A / Objektivita a vyváženost informací | § 4/2 | 0 1 |
| B/ dodržování programových standardů a požadavků | ||
| 1. pořady v rozporu s Ústavou ČR a Listinou lidských práv a svobod | § 5a | 0 1 |
| 2. pořady propagující válku a násilí | § 5b | 0 1 |
| 3. pořady ohrožující vývoj dětí a mladistvých | § 5c | 0 1 |
| 4. poskytování času státním orgánům | § 5d | 0 1 |
| 5. uchovávání záznamů pořadů 30 dnů | § 5e | 0 1 |
| 6. dodržování stanovených povinností výroby a vysílání pořadů v tuzemsku, nebo převzetí pořadů od jiných provozovatelů | § 10/6 | 0 1 |
| C/ respektování povinností stanovených pro vysílání reklam a sponzorovaných pořadů | ||
| 1. reklamy ohrožující morálku, zájmy spotřebitele nebo zájmy ochrany zdraví, bezpečnosti a životního prostředí | § /1a | 0 1 |
| 2. reklamy určené dětem, ohrožující jejich zdraví a vývoj | § 6/1b | 0 1 |
| Formulář č. 1a | |
| 2. část |
| 3. reklamy na léčiva vyžadující lékařský předpis | § 6/1c | 0 1 |
| 4.skryté a podprahové reklamy | § 6/1d | 0 1 |
| 5.účinkování zpravodajských moderátorů v reklamě | § 6/1e | 0 1 |
| 6. reklamy náboženské, ateistické politických stran a hnutí | § 6/1f | 0 1 |
| 7. rozeznatelnost a oddělení reklam od pořadů | § 6/2a | 0 1 |
| 8. zařazení reklamy mezi jednotlivé pořady | § 6/2b | 0 1 |
| 9. reklamy na tabák | § 6/2c | 0 1 |
| § 6/1q* | 0 1 | |
| 10. reklamy na alkoholické nápoje | § 4/1q* | 0 1 |
| 11. reklamy na léčiva s ověřenými účinky | § 4/2d | 0 1 |
| 12. reklamy před a po bohoslužbách | § 6/2e | 0 1 |
| 13.vyloučení vlivu zadavatele reklamy na obsah pořadů a programovou skladbu | § 6/3 | 0 1 |
| 14. časový rozsah reklam | § 7 | 0 1 |
| 15.označení sponzorovaných pořadů | § 8a | 0 1 |
| 16. propagace prodeje výrobků či služeb sponzora | § 8b | 0 1 |
| 17. ovlivňování obsahu a času zařazení sponzorovaných pořadů sponzorem | § 8c | 0 1 |
| 18. nedovolené sponzorování | § 8d | 0 1 |
| 19. sponzorování zpravodajských a publicistických pořadů | § 8e | 0 1 |
Vyhodnocení:
Legenda: * dle zákona 37/89 Sb.
Hodnocení: 0 v souladu se zákony
1 v rozporu se zákony
| Zpracoval /a/: | Dne: |
Rada České republiky pro rozhlasové a televizní vysílání
| Odbor monitoringu a programové analýzy | Formulář č 1b |
Provozovatel /držitel licence/:
| Pořad: | Den: | Hodina: |
| číslo § | hodnocení | |
| A/ Objektivita a vyváženost informací | § 4/2 | 0 1 |
| B/ Dodržování rozsahu a podmínek licence | § 10/1 | 0 1 |
| 1. časového a územního rozsahu vysílání | § 20/5a | 0 1 |
| 2. programové skladby | § 20/5b | 0 1 |
| C/ dodržování programových standardů a požadavků | ||
| 1. pořady v rozporu s Ústavou ČR a Listinou lidských práv a svobod | § 5a | 0 1 |
| 2. pořady propagující válku a násilí | § 5b | 0 1 |
| 3. pořady ohrožující vývoj dětí a mladistvých | § 5c | 0 1 |
| 4. uchovávání záznamů pořadů 30 dnů | § 5e | 0 1 |
| 5. dodržování stanovených povinností výroby a vysílání pořadů v tuzemsku, nebo převzetí pořadů od jiných provozovatelů | § 10/6 | 0 1 |
| D/ respektování povinností stanovených pro vysílání reklam a sponzorovaných pořadů | ||
| 1. reklamy ohrožující morálku, zájmy spotřebitele nebo zájmy ochrany zdraví, bezpečnosti a životního prostředí | § /1a | 0 1 |
| 2. reklamy určené dětem, ohrožující jejich zdraví a vývoj | § 6/1b | 0 1 |
| 3. reklamy na léčiva vyžadující lékařský předpis | § 6/1c | 0 1 |
| Formulář č. 1b | |
| 2. část |
| 4.skryté a podprahové reklamy | § 6/1d | 0 1 |
| 5.účinkování zpravodajských moderátorů v reklamě | § 6/1e | 0 1 |
| 6. reklamy náboženské, ateistické politických stran a hnutí | § 6/1f | 0 1 |
| 7. rozeznatelnost a oddělení reklam od pořadů | § 6/2a | 0 1 |
| 8. zařazení reklamy mezi jednotlivé pořady | § 6/2b | 0 1 |
| 9. reklamy na tabák | § 6/2c | 0 1 |
| § 6/1q* | 0 1 | |
| 10. reklamy na alkoholické nápoje | § 4/1q* | 0 1 |
| 11. reklamy na léčiva s ověřenými účinky | § 4/2d | 0 1 |
| 12. reklamy před a po bohoslužbách | § 6/2e | 0 1 |
| 13.vyloučení vlivu zadavatele reklamy na obsah pořadů a programovou skladbu | § 6/3 | 0 1 |
| 14. časový rozsah reklam | § 7 | 0 1 |
| 15.označení sponzorovaných pořadů | § 8a | 0 1 |
| 16. propagace prodeje výrobků či služeb sponzora | § 8b | 0 1 |
| 17. ovlivňování obsahu a času zařazení sponzorovaných pořadů sponzorem | § 8c | 0 1 |
| 18. nedovolené sponzorování | § 8d | 0 1 |
| 19. sponzorování zpravodajských a publicistických pořadů | § 8e | 0 1 |
Vyhodnocení:
Legenda: * dle zákona 37/89 Sb.
Hodnocení: 0 v souladu se zákony
1 v rozporu se zákony
| Zpracoval /a/: | Dne: |
Rada České republiky pro rozhlasové a televizní vysílání
| Odbor monitoringu a programové analýzy | Formulář č 1c |
Provozovatel /držitel licence v TKR/:
| Pořad: | Den: | Hodina: |
| číslo § | hodnocení | |
| A/ Objektivita a vyváženost informací | § 4/2 | 0 1 |
| B/ Dodržování rozsahu a podmínek licence | § 10/1 | 0 1 |
| 1. časového a územního rozsahu vysílání | § 20/5a | 0 1 |
| 2. programové skladby | § 20/5b | 0 1 |
| 3. dodržování stanovených povinností výroby a vysílání pořadů v tuzemsku, nebo převzetí pořadů od jiných provozovatelů | § 10/6 | 0 1 |
| C/ dodržování programových standardů a požadavků | ||
| 1. pořady v rozporu s Ústavou ČR a Listinou lidských práv a svobod | § 5a | 0 1 |
| 2. pořady propagující válku a násilí | § 5b | 0 1 |
| 3. pořady ohrožující vývoj dětí a mladistvých | § 5c | 0 1 |
| 4. poskytování času státním orgánům | § 5d | 0 1 |
| 5. uchovávání záznamů pořadů 30 dnů | § 5e | 0 1 |
| 6. umístění programů provozovatele ze zákona v TKR | § 19/2 | 0 1 |
| 7. bezúplatné poskytnutí 1 kanálu obci | § 19/4 | 0 1 |
| Formulář č. 1b | |
| 2. část |
| D/ respektování povinností stanovených pro vysílání reklam a sponzorovaných pořadů | ||
| 1. reklamy ohrožující morálku, zájmy spotřebitele nebo zájmy ochrany zdraví, bezpečnosti a životního prostředí | § /1a | 0 1 |
| 2. reklamy určené dětem, ohrožující jejich zdraví a vývoj | § 6/1b | 0 1 |
| 3. reklamy na léčiva vyžadující lékařský předpis | § 6/1c | 0 1 |
| 4.skryté a podprahové reklamy | § 6/1d | 0 1 |
| 5.účinkování zpravodajských moderátorů v reklamě | § 6/1e | 0 1 |
| 6. reklamy náboženské, ateistické politických stran a hnutí | § 6/1f | 0 1 |
| 7. rozeznatelnost a oddělení reklam od pořadů | § 6/2a | 0 1 |
| 8. zařazení reklamy mezi jednotlivé pořady | § 6/2b | 0 1 |
| 9. reklamy na tabák | § 6/2c | 0 1 |
| § 6/1q* | 0 1 | |
| 10. reklamy na alkoholické nápoje | § 4/1q* | 0 1 |
| 11. reklamy na léčiva s ověřenými účinky | § 4/2d | 0 1 |
| 12. reklamy před a po bohoslužbách | § 6/2e | 0 1 |
| 13.vyloučení vlivu zadavatele reklamy na obsah pořadů a programovou skladbu | § 6/3 | 0 1 |
| 14. časový rozsah reklam | § 7 | 0 1 |
| 15.označení sponzorovaných pořadů | § 8a | 0 1 |
| 16. propagace prodeje výrobků či služeb sponzora | § 8b | 0 1 |
| 17. ovlivňování obsahu a času zařazení sponzorovaných pořadů sponzorem | § 8c | 0 1 |
| 18. nedovolené sponzorování | § 8d | 0 1 |
| 19. sponzorování zpravodajských a publicistických pořadů | § 8e | 0 1 |
Vyhodnocení:
Legenda: * dle zákona 37/89 Sb.
Hodnocení: 0 v souladu se zákony
1 v rozporu se zákony
| Zpracoval /a/: | Dne: |