25 February, 2010

Should there be a BiH National TV Channel in Croatian Language?

For some time now a debate has been going on how to allow for a greater representation of Croatian language in Bosnia and Herzegovina's Federal television. Currently, the Federal television is being dominated by Bosniak staff and TV programs are spoken in Bosnian language, geared for Bosniak viewers. Croat population obviously feel excluded and want some changes. One serious suggestion is to establish a separate federal TV channel in Croatian language.

Libertarian answer to this question is very simple: Bosnia and Herzegovina does not need national television. National television is the inheritance of communist practice from the times of socialist Yugoslavia, with national television as the only legal media (read: propaganda tool for indoctrination of the masses) which was allowed to operate. Therefore, there is no need to create any new channels but instead to dismantle even those existing ones and keep the money in the hands of the people.

Private media has always been more than happy to publish government news. Why spend giant sums of money on something which is completely unnecessary. Why force citizens to pay 6.95KM + VAT per month for government run television, regardless of whether they watch it or not? Why smash TV monitors of private citizens who watch exclusively satellite television, and why go back to the times of good old “inform bureau” and confiscate peoples' property for not paying services they are not using?

Private television is free, it provides better quality content by far, and it offers many more choices with something interesting to watch for everyone.

It is about time to end the theft of peoples' property, to abolish the existing national federal television and end indoctrination of the masses at their expense, and to allow the private sector and free market to deliver the best media available.  It is time for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina to finally be able to do the media quality control with their TV remote controls, instead of being forced to subsidize the government propaganda apparatus - the extended arms of the ruling political parties.