BHRT faces collapse if entity broadcasters continue to illegally accumulate funds

(Patria) - With this way of doing business and this attitude, BHRT can no longer perform its function.

Transitional solutions have led us to a situation where the two entity public broadcasters are very wealthy because they have collected huge millions in funds through RTV fee collection methods that are not entirely legal, funds that do not belong to them by law, and BHRT has been brought into huge financial distress.

This was stated today by the General Director of BHRT, Belmin Karamehmedović, at a press conference regarding the severe financial situation in this media house, writes BHRT.

- We have reached a situation where, if BHRT were to sign an annex, or rather, continue the contract under the same conditions as in the last six years, it would directly lead us to collapse and the inability to perform our function.

With this method of fee collection, we have had major problems for years in paying all the obligations and contributions for people who diligently do their job for very low wages.

For example, two days ago, the radio was supposed to be shut down because there was an outstanding debt for that reason, we have debts to the EBU, of which Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a member, i.e., the European Broadcasting Union, and so on and so forth - said Karamehmedović.

He emphasized that the state of BiH, which has undertaken the obligation for a public service to exist, as it exists in all European countries, has never done its part of the job.

BHRT as an unwanted child

As he said, BHRT has been an "unwanted child" since 2005, when the Law on the Public RTV System was adopted in the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- That law, I can freely say, was nowhere near being implemented in the way it was conceived and finally adopted by the highest legislative body of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

When I say that, I primarily mean that the fourth legal entity, the so-called corporation, which was supposed to perform certain functions for all three public broadcasters, i.e., the state and the two entity broadcasters, was never formed.

The application of Article 23 concerning the distribution of RTV fees and marketing never happened. It is true that until 2017, the fee was distributed on the principle of 50% to BHRT and 25% to each entity broadcaster, but the second part of that article, which deals with the distribution of marketing revenue on the same basis, was never implemented.

Years passed, governments changed, high representatives changed, I deliberately say high representatives because initially, that law was imposed by the then High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch, and later adopted in parliament, but there was no adequate solution.

Therefore, here in 2023, there is still no corporation, and no transfer of marketing funds. But the main reason why we gathered here today is the lack of respect for Article 23 of that law when it comes to the distribution of RTV fee funds.

Namely, in 2017, RTRs independently withdrew from that system, concluded their own special agreement with the Post of Republika Srpska, and through their collection service, collected RTV fee funds based on that law in Republika Srpska, but from that moment on, they did not transfer a single convertible mark to Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 50% and 25% to Radio and Television of Federation.

In an attempt to save what could be saved, and to find a solution at the state level, i.e., to find a new way of collecting the fee, Radio and Television of BiH and FTV concluded an agreement with Elektroprivreda Bosne i Hercegovine for the collection of RTV fees.

What was unfavorable for BHRT, but nothing could be done at the time, was that the funds collected by Elektroprivreda were paid into the account of Radio and Television of Federation, and after that, BHRT received its 50%.

The problem arises in that FTV, just as RTRs did not transfer funds from Republika Srpska, did not transfer its corresponding 25% from the Federation to RTRs - explained the General Director of BHRT.

According to him, BHRT played its role in the corporation according to the rules, hoping that everything would fall into place.

- Unfortunately, they never came to what they should have come to in accordance with the law. BHRT, to this day, as the owner of this building, rents its premises to FTV for which it does not pay any funds, and in addition to that, we provide them with technical services, studio space, cameras, everything necessary for program production.

Illegal retention of money

Over these six years, if we sum up how things went with fee collection, you can get it in black and white, the calculation shows that RTRs illegally retained 52 million 800 thousand convertible marks, FTV 19 million 830 thousand, and BHRT is in deficit for that period of 72 million 600 thousand convertible marks - stated Karamehmedović and added that with this way of doing business and this attitude, BHRT can no longer perform its function.

- There was an idea that after the contract expires on December 31, 2023, we would make a small change in the annex and that instead of the money going to FTV's account, it would go to BHRT's account, which would then distribute that fee in the legal proportions as stipulated by Article 23 of the Law on the Public RTV System.

Unfortunately, at the meeting at Elektroprivreda, the illegal management of FTV was not willing to implement this. Instead of reaching an agreement on this annex, which should be valid for one year, similar discussions were held with representatives of the authorities in this part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, FTV insisted on maintaining the status quo, that they continue to illegally retain 25% of the collected fee in the future, which does not belong to them, and to continue and increase this figure of almost 20 million in surplus funds they have achieved on this basis at the expense of BHRT - added Karamehmedović.

Speaking about the illegal management of FTV, he stated that there is an independent audit report from 2018 which states that since 2013, the mandate of neither the Supervisory Board nor the General Director has been extended.

- Therefore, for ten years, people have been working in an illegal status, and it is very questionable whether any decision made in FTV during that period was formally, legally, clean, and legal.

We have tried all these years, for the sake of peace in the house, to find solutions, tolerated debts, tolerated this stepmotherly attitude towards BHRT, unfortunately, it has not yielded results.

We have now reached a situation where, if BHRT were to sign an annex, or rather, continue the contract under the same conditions as in the last six years, it would directly lead us to collapse and the inability to perform our function - emphasizes Karamehmedović.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's window to the world

He stressed the importance of the public knowing what is going on, so as not to create the impression that BHRT is constantly complaining.

- We have fulfilled all our functions and the reason for our existence - from producing all relevant programs in accordance with the broadcasting license, such as news, sports, entertainment, educational, and all other coverage of major events.

Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina, even today, when sending images to the world from any event, receives the highest ratings, although we work with equipment that is often as old as 40 years, in a building that was severely damaged during the war, which of course requires huge investments to repair, so that we can keep up with the constantly advancing technology, we have somehow managed to overcome everything despite the evident flaws - says Karamehmedović.

He concludes that BHRT is not ideal, but that it has never had the support from those who were supposed to provide it so that Radio and Television of BiH could have the role that every public service in Europe has.