31-08-2012

Romanian TV Cuts Staff

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    BUCHAREST: The newly installed Council of Administration of Romania’s public broadcaster TVR (www.tvr.ro) will cut nearly 30 percent of its staff, 980 out of its 3,340 employers, in an attempt to recoup its 133m EUR debt.

    The union of TVR, SPUSTV announced a work-in strike for the whole day of 3 September. The Romanian public television had previously announced the decision to close two of its channels, TVR Cultural and TVR Info, in August.

    The recovery plan approved by the Council of Administration on 28 August should allow TVR to become profitable in 2016. It also includes staggering of the fiscal debts for seven years and renegotiation of contracts with film distributors. The budget of TVR was recently supplemented with 14.5 m EUR, with TVR receiving a total of 48 m EUR from the state budget in 2012. The recovery plan will be debated in Parliament on 1 September, according to paginademedia.ro.

    A programme proposed by the Administration Council led by the new president and general manager of TVR Claudiu Săftoiu states that TVR will spend 5 m EUR monthly and use the rest of 1.5 m EUR for debt repayment. Romanian public TV reports total revenues of 10 m EUR/month from which 3.5 m EUR is paid to the National Radio-Communications Society (www.radiocom.ro). The new management hopes the debts will be paid off in 7.5 years.