TALLINN — Estonia’s Center Party answered Thursday to the Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica Party’s proposition to close Tallinn municipal government media publications with a proposal to create a weekly show on Eesti Television.
Indrek Raudne, a Tallinn councilman of the Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica Party proposed closing the City of Tallinn’s media publications at a meeting this week, arguing that the money should instead be spent on municipal kindergartens that have already endured two budget cuts. The proposal would remove all funding for the citywide weekly newspaper Pealinn/Stolitsa, borough newspapers, airtime on television and radio, and stop preparations to establish the Tallinn Television municipal channel. Tallinn spends more than 50 million krooni (€3.1 million) on media annually.
Tarmo Lausing, a Center Party member of the city council, told Eesti Päevaleht Friday that the Eesti Television (ERR) proposal came as a result Raudne’s idea to save on media expenses.
“As I found that ERR has not been broadcasting Tallinn’s news enough, therefore I made such proposal to the city council, and it was also approved. So it’s really a development of Radne’s idea,” Lausing told Eesti Päevaleht.
On Friday Margus Allikmaa, Eesti Television chairman of the board explained that the city has every right to make proposals to change the law in order to bring their show on-air, asserted the national channel will not be biased, as law dictates the taxpayer-funded show must balance differing political viewpoints.
“It’s not like we’re going to give someone a microphone for an hour so they could do whatever they want. ERR has to have the power to decide what, and to whom the show will be produced and stay independent when choosing the content,” Allikmaa told Baltic Reports.
Allikmaa points out that whether the 60-minute show is interesting to the viewers is a different issue, but he also understands the need for an informative channel for Tallinn’s residents.
“I’m sure that the residents of Tallinn deserve an informative channel but it doesn’t mean that all the rest of Estonia’s citizens, who don’t care about it, also have to watch it! In that case everybody will soon want their own channel, be it Setumaa or the gays,” told Allikmaa.
Eero Kose, a political adviser for Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica city council members, asserts that the Center Party did not agree with the funding shift proposition but is ashamed to block it. So instead the mayor’s party called for creating a show on Eesti Television through the parliament changing the media law disallowing it. Kose says he does not fear that the national public television network will become a Center Party propaganda outlet.
“I’m really happy that ERR has a watchdog like Tarmu Tammert, and also Margus Allikmaa who will not let such political porn go on air,” told Kose.
