Monday, January 16, 2012

Poland's Socialists Want to Deny Broadcasting License to Catholic TV

Edit: Poland's government has been hostile to Catholic broadcasting in general, and continues to be so.  It's been trying to shut down "Radio Maryja" It does not what to grant a Catholic broadcaster a cable license for frivolous pretexts. 

In Poland, there is growing criticism of the National Broadcasting Council because of its relation to the Catholic TV-Station >>Trwam<< [I persevere]. The regulating authority does not want to grant the station a digital broadcasting license.

Warschau (kath.net/KNA)In Poland, there is growing criticism of the National Broadcasting Council because of its relation to the Catholic TV-Station >>Trwam<<[I perservere]. The regulating authority does not want to grant the station a digital broadcasting license. The current counsel to the Polish Bishops Conference has addressed the Broadcasting Council on Monday that the decision will infringe on the principle of diversity of opinion in Digital-TV. For this the Bishops consider this decision as a violation against the "equality before the law". They are appealing to the Broadcasting Authority, since the TV-brance of the conservative right >>Radio Maria<< has already been granted a provisional digital television license for the summer of 2013.

A speaker for the Broadcasting Authority has based the decision to refuse a license for >>Trwam<<  on its lack of program diversity and poor financial security.  According to Polish media the decision is still not final.  The director of >>Trwam<<  and >>Radio Maryja<<, Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, and the conservative right opposition in Parliament have given their strong protest in the last week.  Rydzyk claims, his TV station is being discriminated against, because he does not support the government.

In 2003 the TV station carried among other things, numerous Masses and the foreign trips of Pope Benedict XVI. live.  It has broadcast its program till now from non-terrestrially, but only over satellite, cabel and internet.  Without a digital license he will be automatically flying with no cable network.

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