President Ivan Gašparovič has again refused to sign a law with regards to merging public-service Slovak Television (STV) and Slovak Radio (SRo) that was re-approved by Parliament last week after having already been vetoed by Gašparovič. Notwithstanding the absence of the president's signature, the law will come into effect on January 1, 2011.
The initiative, submitted by Culture Minister Daniel Krajcer (Freedom and Solidarity-SaS), is designed to resolve the financial woes plaguing STV in particular, and to boost the quality of programmes aired by both media. The new RTS chief, who has yet to be appointed, will be tasked with consolidating broadcasting and preparing conditions for running the institution as of 2012. As of the beginning of that year, the broadcaster will receive a single allocation from the state budget. Also, as part of the revamp, license fees will be abolished.
