Compromise. Noked
Funding for community television to triple
Knesset's Economics Committee, Finance Ministry agree to boost government funding for community television, decide to nearly triple it. Agreement to stand until 2010
The Knesset's Economics Committee and the Finance Ministry have reached a compromise regarding government funding for community television.
Government funding of public-access television stands to nearly triple – from $250,000 a year to $830,000.
Both the Treasury and the committee have decided to back a proposal by MK Orit Noked (Labor-Meimad), calling for five percent of the money paid by the cable and satellite companies for their various franchises and royalties to be used to fund community broadcasting services.
A public interest (Illustration: Reuters)
Noked initially proposed an amendment to the Media and Broadcasting Law, calling for annual funding of no less than $1.4 million – until 2010 – when the cable and satellite companies are to renegotiate their franchises and royalty deals. Should the payments turn out to be lower, Noked suggested the Treasury make up the difference.
Initially against the amendment, the Finance Ministry eventually compromised on tripling the existing budget, providing Noked pull her bill.
Noked agreed to the move "providing the new budget will not be a part of any cutbacks made in the government's budget."
Community television is defined as "a public interest" by law. In 2000, a committee appointed by then Communications Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer recommended the broadcasts be backed by an annual budget of $4 million.
Despite agreeing with the committee's recommendations, the budget was later set $1.07 million; and has decreased steadily until 2006, when in was set at $220,000.
The Cable and Satellite Council, which is a subdivision of the Second Authority for Television and Radio, will be charged with funneling the money made available as a result of the compromise, to each of the 10 community broadcasting services operating in Israel.
Community television broadcasts, which are run by hundreds of volunteers – mostly teenagers and members of the elderly community across Israel – is available on channel 85 on both cable and satellite.
