OSCE Presence, European Broadcasting Union join forces to help transform Albania’s public broadcaster
The OSCE Presence in Albania Presence, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Albanian Radio and Television (RTSH) signed a memorandum of understanding on 9 June 2015 on future joint activities aimed at supporting the transformation of Albania’s public broadcaster into an independent, professional and sustainable public broadcaster.
The agreement was signed at the end of a two-day strategic workshop organized by the Presence and the EBU with ten newly-elected members as well as the chair of the RTSH Steering Board, the acting General Director of RTSH and legal experts.
The main aim of the workshop was to share ideas and the vision of transforming the public broadcaster in Albania, and foster a harmonious relationship and mutual understanding among the Board members, top management and editorial team on their roles in the transformation process.
In addition, the new board members were familiarized with the existing legal framework on the public broadcaster in Albania, including the Law on Audio-visual Media Services, the Statute of RTSH and rules and procedures of the Steering Board as well as the editorial guidelines.
EBU experts presented best practices in developing trust and clear responsibilities and in ensuring understanding of the new managing structures in place. They also presented governance principles for public service media.
The workshop was part of the efforts of the OSCE Presence in Albania to help RTSH’s transformation into an independent, professional and sustainable public broadcaster. In November 2013, the Presence organized a national conference on the reform of the public broadcaster. A regional workshop on public service media and building audience’s trust was organized by the Presence in November 2014, in close co-operation with the RTSH, the EBU, and UNESCO. In March and April 2015, the OSCE Presence and the EBU provided training to RTSH journalists on impartiality and electoral reporting.