FM 103.5 Radio is a victim of harassment before elections, Media NGOs say

The Balti-based “FM 103.5” radio station, together with “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau”, seems to be a new victim of the government’s trend to repress the diversity of opinions and critics on the eve of elections, says a joint statement from eight media NGOs, in connection to the Broadcasting Coordination Council’s (BCC) decision to refuse the frequency licence to the radio station, which has broadcast for over 10 years under a prior licence. The authors of the statement believe that the BCC decision of February 13 is “throttling an important local broadcaster in Balti”. According to the statement, the disappearance of a local radio station that broadcast its own production and had a local feature is serious reason for concern in any democracy. Such a decision should ground on a thorough and objective analysis, and had to be taken in a transparent manner. Regardless of the reasons BBC set forth during its meeting, it seems that these reasons do not excuse the punishment that deprives the broadcaster of the right to air, and the audience – of the right to information that it has had for 10 years. In compliance with the law, BCC had to designate the winner of the frequency tender based on an objective and impartial examination of all the bids placed. The Council should have brought forth believable and indubitable arguments that would have explained the taken decision before the public opinion. The statement also says it is odd that a radio station which has never been subject to any sanctions before, was so severely punished by BCC members’ unanimity of votes. “We believe that the BCC members overlooked the public interest and took a partial decision that proved the inappropriate character of the new legislation’s enforcement”, the statement adds. The statement is signed by the Independent Journalism Centre, the Electronic Press Association APEL, the Media IMPACT Agency, the Journalist Investigations Centre, The Journalists’ Union of Moldova, the Committee for Media Freedom, and the “Acces-info” Centre. On February 13, the BCC granted frequency to the Balti-based City FM radio, favouring it over FM 103.5 station. BBC members made reference to a monitoring report, according to which FM 103.5 reportedly failed to observe the broadcasting schedule. BCC also set forth the failure to provide the required volume of production in Romanian and Russian. The previous week, Colleen Graffy, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, following a meeting with the staff of FM 103.5, said she was concerned about declining media in Moldova, citing the cases of three stations (including Antena C and Euro TV). "We believe this is a serious challenge to press freedom, to the diversity of opinions and ideas in Moldova," she said, adding that free media was key to building a stable democracy and fighting corruption. On Monday, February 19, the Head of OSCE Mission to Moldova, Ambassador Louis O'Neill also expressed concern about recent negative developments in Moldova's broadcasting landscape. Referring to the case of FM 103.5, O'Neill stressed the need for transparent decisions on all matters related to the licensing of broadcasting institutions. "This decision should be explained and supported by compelling arguments to avoid the appearance of political or financial impropriety. Every effort should also be made to avoid dead air time during the transfer of frequencies, which deprives the Moldovan people of media access." O'Neill said.