Bulgarian Nationalists Come Closer to Registering Own TV Channel

Bulgarian nationalist leader Volen Siderov seeks a new tribune in the form of a TV channel owned by the Ataka party. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Bulgaria's Council for Electronic Media (SEM) has returned the application of nationalist party Ataka for the registration of its own TV channel.

According to Georgi Lozanov, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of SEM, Ataka needs to remedy a number of omissions in the documents filed, after which they will be reexamined within a week's time.

"The follow-up procedure takes very little time", Lozanov told journalists Wednesday.

For the first time since its establishment, SEM will have to decide on the registration of a TV channel owned by a political party.

In Lozanov's opinion "there is no legal obstacle to this".

Bulgaria's Radio and Television Act does not rule out the registration of such TV stations.

The Political Parties Act (PPA) also provides no explicit ban on the use of a party's subsidy from the state budget for the financing of a television broadcaster.

If it chooses to make use of the state subsidy, however, the political formation will have to give up on advertising and sponsorship revenue, as required by PPA.

Alfa TV, as named in the registration papers, has applied for a public operator with national coverage, 24-hour program and an informational and educational profile.

The TV project of the nationalist party surfaced in the summer of 2010.

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