The bill for the licensing of regional television stations was presented on Friday by the Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and government spokesperson, Pavlos Marinakis, during the Cabinet meeting.
Until now, regional television stations have operated under a "legal operation" framework, registered in a special registry of the National Council for Radio and Television. This is a transitional and temporary regime, which, however, has lasted for decades. As a result of this provisional status, regional television stations have not been subject to strict oversight, operating in a largely unregulated environment.
The State has now decided to legislate a comprehensive licensing process, to be implemented by the National Council for Radio and Television, for regional television stations. This will put an end to a significant institutional and legal gap, strengthen the trust these stations have with their local communities, ensure transparency, accountability, and sustainability, create new jobs, and safeguard the employment security of journalists and staff.
Presenting the new bill to the Prime Minister and the members of the Cabinet, Marinakis emphasiσed: "With the third bill introduced in just four months for the media sector, we aim to bring order to the licensing landscape of regional channels, which has been unregulated for over 20 years, in such a way that healthy businesses that comply with the law, respect their employees, and produce quality content for the television audience are protected."