RANGAT / Fear, Federika and a phone call with The Tall One

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

Is Eni Vasili normalizing RTSH?

2025-10-13 13:10:18Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Eni Vasili

Albania has two major television stations that share the majority of the audience and advertising revenue between them, while all other screens share what remains, struggling for survival.

The problems of our media are numerous, starting from the purpose for which they function: for information, education, entertainment or profit for the owners as a means of propaganda and attack in the service of the government or the opposition. The answer is that they exist mainly for profits, which are easier than the other option – the logic of the market – where private media is a business that must be profitable, but at the same time maintain the principles of journalism.

This is an issue that is both easy and difficult to resolve: easy if political pressure, temptations, and interference are removed, while maintaining the necessary ethical distance; but difficult if this fundamental principle is taken as naivety or as an outdated concept.

To illustrate this, it is enough to see how the new television season has started on Albanian screens, where it is clear that the media crisis has only worsened. Of course, due to the distortion of the basic principle: it does not get its money from the market, but from the government. There are also cases when it gets it from both, but at the end of the day everything comes from the services provided to the government. This moment of private media will continue for a long time and the model built over three decades will not change in a few years — especially since the same thing is happening in Europe and the USA.

The real change is related to public broadcasters, whose operation is paid for by citizens. In the world, public televisions are a breathing space between the economic interests of the owners and their connections to politics. Unfortunately, even RTSH in our country is seen as the property of the government and not the public; as a place where a salary is received by doing some work, where a pension is expected, and where taxpayers' money is abused without laying a single brick in 35 years.

But can RTSH be normalized?

For a short time and for major transformations – no.

But there are steps towards improvement.

In the new television season, which seems to be poorer for the audience and more difficult for the media workers themselves in general, at least the RTSH screen looks cleaner and more normal, avoiding the amateurism and uncivil atmosphere of recent years. Tested presenters in private media, such as: Alba Alishani, Flor Gjini, Krist Martiro, more guests in number and above all content that comes from the events of the day, finally becoming journalists — are a small step, but one that gives hope that the free fall of RTSH 1 will not continue further.

On the other hand, the low salaries of journalists and RTSH employees have for years been in contrast to the staff of projects brought in from abroad. With the principle that television projects were divided for "qoka", political influence and financial benefits, the productions of recent seasons had turned RTSH 1 into simply a number that had to be switched on the remote control.

This season's shows, for the most part, are no longer external projects. There are no longer inflated fees that were once allocated to friends, but normal fees in the logic of the market. The same applies to the broadcast series and those that have been announced, where a tasteful and professional selection is distinguished.

However, these are only small steps. Major structural problems remain: miserable working conditions due to abuse of funds, low salaries, debts of 7 million euros for non-payment of contracts with domestic and foreign private institutions and companies, lack of funding, the swelling of the number of employees to 1,200 people and, above all, the lack of a real reform to bring this institution into the logic of the market.

Removing RTSH's right to broadcast National Team matches or the national championship is the same as removing the National Festival; therefore, the return of National Football Team matches should be a priority for the new head of RTSH.

On the other hand, unlike previous leaders who came and fired employees en masse, after the arrival of Eni Vasili there have been no layoffs, except in cases of violations of the law and in accordance with the Labor Code. Normality is only a hope — but a hope that, finally, is looking real./ Dosja.al


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×