The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is sounding the alarm over the planned privatization and budget reduction of the Israeli Broadcasting Company Kan 11. In a letter addressed this Wednesday to the Knesset, the president of the EBU, Noel Korn warns of the serious consequences of such a decision.
“Public broadcasters are more than just media, they are pillars of democracy, culture and social unity,” Korn underlines in his missive. He warned that privatizing Kan 11 would be a step “almost unprecedented in the history of European media” and could jeopardize Israel’s international reputation.
The issue goes beyond the national framework. A member of the EBU since 1957, Israeli public broadcasting participates in major events such as Eurovision or the broadcast of the Football World Cup. A change in its status could lead to its suspension from these international events.
This warning comes as Communications Minister Shlomo Karai unveiled this Wednesday before the Knesset Economy Committee his plan for drastic reform of Israeli public broadcasting.
At the heart of this controversial reform is the outright elimination of publicly funded Hebrew news programs, with the minister defending a vision of total liberalization of the news sector. Channel 11, the historic pillar of Israeli public broadcasting, will therefore see its mission profoundly redefined. From now on, it will have to concentrate exclusively on original productions and Israeli creation.
On the budgetary level, the reform provides for an annual envelope of 500 million shekels, marking a significant reduction in allocated resources. The project also includes a restructuring of the radio landscape, with the maintenance of only five public stations, while the frequencies of network B will be offered to national commercial radio stations.
Opponents of this reform fear that it will lead to an impoverishment of public debate and the diversity of points of view, while its defenders see it as a necessary modernization of the audiovisual sector. The project must now follow its legislative course, but it already marks a major turning point in the history of Israeli media.
