Romania Elections Premiere: Candidates To Pay For TV, Radio Airtime

According to a CNA decision, this year’s media electoral campaign will be the first one in which candidates will have to pay for TV and radio airtime. The airtime on public TV and radios, however, will be free for all candidates, CNA said.

 

In addition, the candidates’ access to talk shows will remain free, to ensure objectivity, CNA president Rasvan Popescu said.

 

“I would like to remind you that this novelty regarding the possibility for the candidates to pay for the airtime, unlike the previous electoral campaigns, comes not from a CNA initiative, but from the Law voted by the Romanian Parliament. The parliament gave this possibility to stations to recover production costs during this campaign, and this is a good thing. Of course, this cannot go to the opposite pole. This campaign must not become a major source of income for TV and radio stations,” Popescu said.

 

He said each private TV and radio station will be allowed to set their own tariffs, based on various criteria. “It is one thing when a station covers the entire country, and another when the station only covers a small town – the tariffs, of course, will be different. Also, the tariffs will most likely be differentiated according to the broadcasting hours of the show in question. It is one thing to appear on a morning show, when audience is scarce, and another one to be on a prime time show,” Popescu mentioned.

 

The tariffs, however, will be the same for all candidates appearing on a certain private TV or radio station, the official said.