The meeting was attended by leaders of state authorities carrying out regulation in the media sphere, as well as representatives of state and communal mass media.
M.Tomenko noted that the Committee submitted several suggestions regarding the draft State Budget of Ukraine for 2014 concerning the media sphere. According to him, “having analyzed the draft law, submitted for consideration by the Parliament, we consider that it is necessary to pay attention to some issues requiring special attention in the process of its adoption.”
It was stressed that such areas include: funding the needs of signal propagation by the Broadcasting, Radiocommunications & Television Concern; ensuring transition to digital broadcasting, which should be completed in 2015; issues of appropriate celebration of social and cultural events, anniversaries of prominent people, particularly 200th birth anniversary of Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko, etc.
Participants of the meeting stressed that the draft budget stipulates UAH 26 mln 624,9, which is less by UAH 2 mln comparing with 2013, for coverage of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine work via television and radio (TV channel “Rada”, National Radio Company of Ukraine), as well as for financial support of publishing the parliamentary newspaper “Holos Ukrainy” and magazine “Viche.” Moreover, according to the speakers, while forming the budget for 2014, the Cabinet of Ministers did not take into consideration funding of 600 thousand tuners for vulnerable social groups, which is estimated to comprise UAH 306 mln.
It was also mentioned that the budget article on television and radio signal propagation (according to estimations, as of now the need comprises UAH 113 mln) requires considerable funding.
During the meeting, issues on prospects of forming Public Television in Ukraine, on the programme “Ukrainian book”, on the status and possibilities of technical and technological re-equipment of state television companies, etc. were discussed.