Banja Luka press conference
12 August 2004
OHR welcomes BHTV1 channel
Tomorrow will see the launch of the BHTV1 channel – a welcome and important
step forward for public broadcasting in BiH.
This channel will serve all citizens of BiH. It will provide programming that
covers the entire spectrum of domestic and international culture and
entertainment, in the languages of the peoples of BiH. The fact that it will
launch its programming with state-of-the-art broadcasting of the Olympic Games
gives a flavour of the kind of service BHTV1 will be able to offer the citizens
of this country.
This is the first time since the war that citizens have been able to watch
this programming across the whole territory of BiH. This is the culmination of
years of hard work and the OHR extends its congratulations to all those
involved. While initially the channel will have a limited programme schedule it
will develop with time.
This is also an important requirement of the EC’s Feasibility Study, which
calls for a single unified public broadcasting system that is self-sustainable,
viable and state-wide and precludes divisions.
It is now essential that the BiH Parliament adopts the PBS legislation in a
format that will meet the Feasibility Study requirements. These new laws improve
existing legislation in the areas of the system’s financing, management and use
of joint infrastructure so ensuring that the PBS will continue to
develop
