THE SLOVAK Syndicate of Journalists (SSN), a representative organisation of the journalistic profession in Slovakia, is concerned about the fate of the public Slovak Radio's (SRo) foreign broadcasting channel, which may be definitively switched off due to a lack of finances, the news wire SITA wrote.
The journalists requested that the government allocate funds to preserve Radio Slovakia International (RSI).
SRo director general Jaroslav Rezník said that he would switch off RSI as of July 1 if he did not receive Sk75 million (€1.9 million) to continue the broadcast.
The SSN views the foreign broadcast as an important tool for promoting Slovakia abroad. They say it is illogical that, on one hand, the cabinet wants to set up a special institution to promote Slovakia abroad and on the other hand, it wants to cancel a promotional tool that has been working efficiently for a decade.
The parliamentary media committee disagrees with the possible termination of RSI's short-wave broadcasts.
SRo is proposing that funding for RSI could be provided from the Foreign Affairs Ministry budgetary chapter, based on its claim that it is in the nation's interest to maintain the broadcast.
RSI broadcasts in Slovak, English, German, French, Russian, and Spanish.
