edition-dw-akademie-in-the-service-of-the-public-functions-and-transformation-of-media-in-developing-countries-pdf

van citizens. 74 Social topics are often reported through statementsof politicians and economists but rarely through theeyes of ordinary citizens.Meanwhile however, TRM does not fulfill its agenda-settingfunction. Most experts criticize that the broadcaster mainlyreacts to events instead of putting topics forward for publicdebate that are relevant to its audience. The broadcaster alsolacks a department for investigative journalism. The audio-visualcodex stipulates that TRM should strive to obtain a rate of20 percent in terms of content bought from independent producers75 – a regulation aimed at increasing the production ofcontent in Moldova. In the past, TRM bought programs from aproduction company associated with the newspaper Ziarul deGarda, which is famous in Moldova for its investigative journalism.However, the cooperation was part of a project of theSoros Foundation Moldova and it remains to be seen whetherthis cooperation will continue.Overall, the general quality of TRM’s programs remainspoor in comparison to those of its private competitors. However,since the start of the reform in 2011, some departments,such as the news section, have improved the quality of theiroutput. Notwithstanding various deficits, their programsshow a pluralism of views and offer a forum for public debate.Whilst TRM’s news programs are still perceived as “boring”and “old-fashioned,” the outlet nonetheless beats its competitorsin terms of information value and balance.Supporting IntegrationTeleradio-Moldova has the task “to assure that all categoriesof citizens of (the) Republic of Moldova can exert the right toinformation, including minorities.” 76 TRM takes this seriously,which can be illustrated by the following facts: The companybroadcasts in the languages of all minorities on Radio Moldova,as well as in Russian and Gagauz (the latter through theregional Gagauz public broadcaster GRT, affiliated with TRM)on TV. Furthermore, it has a radio channel especially designedfor young people (Radio Tineret) and there are plans to distributespecial programs for children via podcast. TRM producescultural and educational programs as well as shows for youngaudiences and children in Moldova, although the quality is notalways satisfactory. Shows like “Baştina” (Native) and “La Noiîn Sat” (With Us In The Village) focus on issues affecting ruralpopulations. However, many of the minority programs are oftencriticized for their low quality, which is considered muchworse than that of the general programming. Some media expertsargue that this is due to the fact that these minority programshave not yet been affected by the reform process. Moldova1 covers virtually the entire Moldovan territory, whichis significantly more than its private competitors. Thereforeit has a much stronger position among the rural population.In fact, its news show “Mesager” is the second most-viewednewscast in the country, according to polls by the Institute forPublic Politics. 77The fostering of cultural expression and the strengthening ofidentity, values, and cultural cohesion are stipulated in TRM’sstatute. The media in Moldova, a small and poverty-strickencountry, are very much dominated by foreign content, mostlyfrom Russia or Romania. Media content and programs inboth languages can be aired in Moldova without subtitling ordubbing. In the time of the Ukrainian conflict, Moldova ordereda stop of rebroadcasting of Russian TV channels due tohate speech. Increasing the rate of content produced locallyis therefore vital for the country, a position held by manyexperts. TRM constantly monitors how much local contentit produces. In the last year, it was able to add several hoursto the overall annual amount. The aforementioned cooperationwith independent producers is also part of an attemptto increase the original content broadcast on TRM. Media thatbroadcast mainly foreign content cannot function as a forumof public debate for a society. Locally-produced content – beit information or fiction – fosters inclusiveness and cohesionof society.All criticism notwithstanding, most media experts interviewedfor this study do not see an alternative to TRM. Thecommercial channels are interested in ratings and sales, andare therefore unlikely to make an effort to air programs thatrepresent the interests of all categories of citizens. 78 In addition,TV channels are highly politicized in Moldova. Legal ownershipremains non-transparent, even though it is obvious which majorpoliticians use them as their instruments of propaganda.Achievements and ChallengesIn the years of reform, Teleradio-Moldova has changed, butnot nearly as much as it could have. Today, it fulfils the functionsof a public broadcaster to a much higher degree than itdid under the previous management. However, huge opportunitiesto implement substantial change were missed.TRM has a potentially very strong position on the Moldovanmedia market. It has the widest coverage across Moldovanterritory, and numbers among its assets the most importantnews and current affairs channel in radio. Radio Actualităţihas undergone substantial organizational reform. With RadioTineret, a youth-oriented radio station with modern programmingthat has been created from scratch, even if it lacks anFM frequency in the capital. In addition, TRM has establisheda new multimedia department that offers news and makesthe broadcaster’s TV and radio content available online. Its TVchannel produces the second-most important news programin the country. In the course of reform, TRM closed its foreignchannels Moldova International in TV and Radio in order tofree up financial resources for other purposes. Thus, the channelstrengthened its focus on its key audience as demanded bythe statute.Certain limitations notwithstanding, TRM does serve todayas a platform for public debate. Its programs strive to supportintegration by broadcasting different shows for different soci-130