Unfortunately, the crisis the operating of public broadcasting in BiH is neither unexpected nor sudden; instead it appears as rather well planned and remaining permanent. Ever since this broadcaster had been established, political obstruction has gradually been transferred to a legislative and executive level, so, fifteen years after the forming of media sector in BiH, instead of stabilization, it was not unexpected to discover regressive processes, similar to those that have been noted on the total field if integration of the state community. In 2007 Haraszti warned about the politically biased appointing of members of executive, administrative and supervising bodies, including board of directors of public broadcaster and exclusion of independent regulatory body from these processes highlighting the important role of public broadcasters in democratic processes in BiH. Public services, according to Rumphors (2007) exist so they could serve the public, since it’s the public that funds them so public should, to some extent, have control of their work and key function of public broadcaster should be social cohesion and integration, ensuring free information flow and entailing pluralism and tolerance

From the role of public broadcasters it has become notable that this role of public broadcasters is not in conformance with present / current politics of ethno – political divisions in BiH that appear as key obstacle to democratization of social community in general. They actually desire media that would provide the public with ethnic subtracts and that would reinforce their powerful positions and/or media that would feed the public with reality shows, TV soap novels, death chronicles and similar programs aimed to make the public indolent and passive and dulling their critical abilities in order to make current politics sustainable and supported.
Because, how else could anyone understand the initiative for amendments of the Law on Public Broadcasters where total income should be distributed into three parts, instead of using present model whir RTV BiH receives half the income and one quarter of total incomes would be dispersed to Entity broadcasters? Or the decision by the Council of Ministers on the other hand allowing Entity broadcasters to manage the part of infrastructure acquired during the digitalization process. Or, encouraging the public to refuse paying the RTV tax fees by certain politician and state officials? Or, skillful tactics of protraction of solving issues of public broadcasting functioning and operating, including above all, their financing and funding.

Financing

Procrastination tactics of solving the problem of public broadcasters financing in BiH could from one hand be considered as discipline tactics and on the other hand, it could serve as tactics that may lead to public broadcasting weakening that may sustain. In any event, public broadcasters may no longer fulfill their tasks or they may no longer have global significance that public broadcasters have and should have.

Politics interference in solving the issues of public broadcasting in BiH has been directed to the controlling of these media houses, instead of being aimed to the core problem solving which has become more than apparent during the recent actions taken by official institutions that for over a year delay the decision passing on permanent and quality based financing of public media houses. The question of public broadcasters’ financing at present actually outlines the question of their survival. The model of collection of RTV tax fees being implemented in BiH is also used with success in developed countries as well. Thus, for instance, public broadcasters in Germany are being financed from the tax based on the possession of electronic equipment / property (Rundunkbeitrag) and is EUR 17.98 monthly fee and is one of the biggest fees of this kind in the world.

This is a legal requirement for all citizens except special social categories and is also requirement for all legal entities, depending on the number of employed staff they have. Thanks to significant incomes by the public channels, ZD and Das Erste in Germany have largest share views (13 and 12.5%) in comparison with famous commercial channels RTL and SAT.1 that have 10% and 8% of viewership.
The evaluation here is pretty simple; no stable incomes no quality program which in BiH context means that it is necessary to find efficient model of financing that would enable program production that would then satisfy the taste and public demands, and would additionally and directly attract a significant number of commercial advertisers. A year ago, public broadcasting managements proposed a new way of collecting RTV tax fees that would alter the model of collecting of this kind of tax fee through telephone bills. Proposed model would provide the collection of RTV tax along with the electricity bills and according to estimates it would be sufficient enough for broadcasters’ functioning operations and restructuring processes in the near future. Official authorities delay their opinion and attitude regarding this process and public broadcasters slowly drown into more and more problems. Undoubtedly this problem could be resolved with certain political will and could start the new beginning of public broadcasters.

Public

As one of the arguments for delaying the solution to this problem, they often quote that the public / audience do not want public broadcasters, that is, the public / the audience is unhappy with the program schemes and this is why many subscribers cancel contracts with landline telephone operators and providers in order to avoid paying the RTV tax fees. Telecom operators are also losing money by this and the percentage of RTV tax fee collected amount is less than 50%. This is a classic trap of thesis spinning. RTV tax fee is a legal requirement that should be paid by any entity in possession of TV or radio receiver and not a subscription to certain programs. Also, we could say that the public is generally unsatisfied with all the money being spent by the public administration, particularly the VAT collected means, so they believe it’s them who should decide whether they should pay for this legal requirement or not.

Or, on the other hand, there is thesis that the public do not like the fact that many political parties have been funded and financially supported with public money and the citizens consequently have the right to boycott the payment by all means.

Another thing is how the parliamentary procedure decided how and who shall direct all incomes from RTV tax fees whose unobstructed collection is legal requirement of the state. The impression is that the public is not informed about this and that too much space is (deliberately) left for various interpretations’, comments and even manipulation.

Changes

The public decides whether they should follow and view public broadcasting programs or commercial programs. Therefore, the battle for the survival and sustainability of public broadcasters would depend on the following questions: Why should citizens pay for RTV tax fees? What can public broadcasters offer that other media houses cannot? What programs and what ways should exist from corresponding to the public?

These questions are imposed because world’s public broadcasters have been, for the period of last decade, going through of the worst crisis from their beginning. Trends such as, decline of number of viewers, reduced incomes, severe and loud requirements for the revision of public broadcasters’ role, as well as their financing and funding, are altogether evident at present. Intercessors of these requests often refer to market laws and needs and public wishes. Most eminent broadcasters are being under great pressure, including BBC with over 308 million of people having access to their services. Public services are required to adjust to new market and technological conditions. Last year in Canada, an authorized parliamentary committee made a report covering the work of CBC public broadcaster, titled Time for Changes, and the recommendations included 22 reform items necessary in order to have this broadcaster competitive with new market terms and condition.

Other surveys and conclusions conducted by different commission dealing with public broadcasters operating and functioning lead to the fact that public broadcasters do have prosperous future ahead, they shall exist until dual concept of media functioning is in force, but public broadcasters require necessary changes.

Proposed changes relate to use of potentials of convergent processes which conditioned, among other things, the changes of communication model, starting from linear access of push technologies based on “take what’s being offered to you” to non linear access based on “take what you want and when you want”.

This practically means the adjusting of modern 4a communication model (anyone, anything, anytime, anywhere), aimed to have access, from anytime and anywhere, to programs and contents stored in electronic memory.

Another important area of recommended changes relates to habits and needs of users which include continuous survey of public, audience, market, trends etc. In this context it is particularly important that public broadcasters identify the semiotic democracy trend[6], that is, capability and willingness of users to produce and disseminate new creations and take part in public cultural based discourse. In this way, public broadcasters should be directed towards linear programs for target audience (special programs and channels), along with traditional linear program aimed for general audience, including personalized services based on associated principles thus enabling users to create programs and content.

Changes undoubtedly include seeking the most efficient financing models and radical structural changes in terms of rational utilization of resources. The thing that has been noted as key advantage of public broadcasters in future, that is, the essence without which the content and program scheme o these broadcasters would resemble the commercial TV contents and program schemes, is professionalism which includes the compliance of professional principles of reporting, ethic codes, credibility respect of sources and above all, the public rights to true, balanced and complete information, For public broadcasters in Bosnia and Herzegovina these present the challenges that managements of these media houses must fully and necessary face and deal with as well as official authorities, also including all challenges deriving from the uniqueness of BiH society.

Day after tomorrow

Public broadcasting services in BiH have been stretched between international community, political leaders, ethnic audience, divided journalism viewers and listeners and economy powerful figures and they have been patting intact for more than 15 years. This seems reasonably short period on one hand, but one the other hand, it does appear pretty long in terms of fast technological conditions emerging, including legislative changes in EU that they tend to meet and fulfill. Unique public broadcasting service in Bosnia and Herzegovina at present is not possible and will not be possible until the moment of crucial political changes occur in terms of full integration of society based on democratic principles and exclusively based of civil orientations. Strategies or abolitions or even dissolutions of public broadcasting services shall lead to the same end: regression of a transitional process towards modern democratic systems and finally the division of social community. And citizens must not allow this, if they can have say in this anyway.