UPDATE - The sound of birds singing has replaced Chopin and Bach on Polish Radio 2 today as part of a protest against cuts imposed on Polskie Radio by the government.
The second channel of Polish Radio is stopping broadcasting, Wednesday for 24 hours in protest against budget cuts.
From 06.00 CET the channel will stop broadcasting its usual program for 24 hours. Instead listeners will hear a Polish revolutionary song “Warszawianka”, birds singing and an announcement about the strike.
“Dwojka”, as the channel is commonly known, is a part of the public broadcaster Polish Radio, dedicated to culture, classical music, arts and literature. It is considered to be the most elitist of all radio channels.
As a part of the state-owned Polish Radio, “Dwojka” is financed from radio licence fees. However, a recent drop in takings and a new media law which aims at abolishing the fees, has cast a shadow on the future of the channel.
The aim of the strike is to draw public attention to the dramatic financial situation of the channel and persuade politicians to abandon their plan to deprive Polish Radio of its main source of income, says the protestors.
Today, the government indicated that it would not be trying to find any extra money for the cash-strapped radio station.
“There will be no extra support from the government for Polish Radio,“ said Treasury Minister Aleksander Grad. The minister said He cannot give any extra public money for this company.
He added the radio’s finances are the responsibility of the Broadcasting Council, Supervisory Council and the management board.
But support was expressed from regional branches of Polskie Radio.
“We admire their courage. For the first time someone has said allowed what everyone is thinking,” said a journalist from Polskie Radio Bialystok. “It is hard to imagine that a program like Radio 2 could finish broadcasting. Unfortunately, it is hard to see how this can be resolved. There is too much politics in radio.”
'An unusual form of protest'
The channel’s web site says: “The worsening financial situation of Polish Radio 2 has forced us to take this unusual form of protest. It is a call to our listeners, our friends, the creative class, our fellow journalists and those who decide about the fate of public media in Poland.
“We – the Team of Polish Radio 2 – do not agree for the degradation of the most important elements of the mission of the public radio in Poland,” the statement on the web site continues. “We have conducted our cultural and educational activities with due involvement and conviction. We have always kept the highest standards. We treated the worsening financial situation of our programme as only a temporary problem."
“Dwojka” budget this year has been reduced by half, to just 6 million zlotys (1,4 million euros). Because of the savings, several events and festivals, organized annually by the channel have been cancelled. Salaries of its employees have also been cut dramatically. Some of the journalist have even agreed to work for free.
“This year we cannot afford to organise The Polish Radio Music Festival,” says the statement by Polish Radio 2. “There is less and less contemporary literature and music on air. We have no money for the concerts and recordings, which have already been planned. We cannot support prestigious festivals, which we did co-organise in the past.
“Next year we shall celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Fryderyk Chopin. The Polish Radio has traditionally supported such events. In the present financial situation it seems impossible to continue this tradition.”
The protest is supported by the Polish Radio’s board of directors. “We want to direct politicians and the general public’s attention to the problem, as currently it is focused on public television,” explains Robert Wijas, acting president of Polish Radio.
He accuses politicians of the financial crisis in public media. “Takings from licence fees are decreasing and it is still uncertain if Polish Radio will get money from the state budget,” said Wijas. (mg/pg)
Updated 12.35, July 8
related sites
Polish Radio 2 appeal to listeners in full (scroll half way down page for statement in English)