Cultural diversity in Romanian public television

The case of national minorities

Diversity has long been an important goal of media policy and a criterion for
evaluating media performance in many countries, although often under other names such as
pluriformity, pluralism or multiculturalism. Its origins are generally to be found in democratic
social theory and in the critique of media monopoly, especially in the years after the Second
World War, when most European press systems were threatened by a strong wave of
newspaper press concentration.
1

9. Public service broadcasting, although having a clear economic relevance, is not
comparable to a public service in any other economic sector. There is no other service that at
the same time has access to such a wide sector of the population, provides it with so much
information and content, and by doing so conveys and influences both individual and public
opinion.
2
Television is a means of entertainment as well as a means of expressing cultural
values and mentalities. Given the model of multicultural harmony and sociocultural diversity
how deeply does Romania actually embrace diversity in their media programmes? What is the
level of acceptance and inclusion among various groups? How is this exemplified, reflected
and supported by representations of cultural diversity in Romanian entertainment television
programming?
What do we mean by diversity? The significance lies in the very designation and
diversity: it refers to the fact that we are different; there are people of different races,
ethnicities, religions, nationalities, age or sexual orientation. Therefore, diversity is a reality in
which we live. Mass media companies should serve this reality in which we live. Therefore,
the reflection of the press and media in general is very important. Especially in Europe, where
there are an increasing number of religion and ethnic minorities, and immigrants
communities, the media has a very important role in reflecting diversity. Mass media has or at
least should have the power to give voice to minorities, to represent them and to be the means
by which they express themselves and express their cultural particularities.9 The media has
not only meant to reflect diversity, but should reflect in a correct, objective and impartial
manner. But media outlets do not consider promoting diversity is one of the most important
functions press. The study on media diversity "Media4Diversity" conducted by European
Union concludes that in some countries the issues of promoting diversity are relatively absent
from the media agenda and the lack of a correct media diversity monitoring through
legislation. Also, journalism schools do not prepare students in the field of anti-discrimination
or diversity management.
European media policy has also been dominated by an economic rather than a cultural
logic, despite early ambitions to try to forge some kind of shared European cultural identity.
The primary aim had been to extend the principle of the single market and harmonisation to
the media and cultural eld, with a secondary aim of strengthening European cultural

1
Bennet, p.73.
2
Tratat 2009
production in order to reduce dependence on the United States. The keystone of the media
policy of the European Union is the 1989 Television Directive (revised 1996), which has two
main objectives relevant to the present issue. One is to promote the cross-border ow of
television within Europe, by harmonising the basic rules affecting content and advertising.
3

Minority language situations vary enormously from country to country. According to
Cormack (1998), the chances for minority languages depend not only on obvious things like
the number of speakers, but also on the degree of political support, the relative symbolic value
of the minority language (as in Ireland) and the mounting of campaigns of support. Lately,
there has been a more favourable trend in European support for regional and minority media
(the concept of Europe of the Regions). There are potential benets as well as threats from
changes in the media. Cormack (1998) suggests that the cause of minority languages may be
helped by the larger threat to many national European languages from the international
imperialism of the English language. Advocates of minority languages and opponents of
English language dominance share a common cause and can benet from the same protective
measures.
4

In this essay I will discuss the relation between the Romanian public television and the
dissemination of minority groups culture in its broadcastings, here also seeing the extent to
which European policy in the domain is respected and how it is put into practice. In Romania
we can find several national minorities like Hungarians (6.6%), Roma (2.46%), Ukrainians
(0.28%), German (0.27%), Russians (0.16%), and Turks (0.14%). The first three are the most
numerous and considered the most important minorities in the country. They have
representative parties in the parliament and in dedicated program block in the public
televisions transmission. According to European legislation, all these minorities should have
the possibility to express their cultural heritage in mass media. Therefore, a number of airing
hour on television and printed press are allocated to national minorities. In the present paper, I
will analyse the case of the Romanian public television (TVR) and see if it assorts with the
European legislation regarding cultural diversity. If the programmes are made so as the
national minorities rights are respected, these minorities should have a certain number or
emission hours. The minorities which are the most numerous also have the best support in the
Romanian parliament. These minorities are constituted into parties that have a word to say
when we are talking about creating and passing laws. The other smaller minorities are also
clustered into a party called the minoritys party and also have an important role in decision
making but slightly less powerful than the other two big minority groups, namely the
Hungarian and Roma.
Public broadcasting has played a key part, as noted above, in maintaining and
extending cultural diversity for all kinds of minority interests and tastes. However, research
has shown not only an overall decline in audiences for public broadcasting, and therefore
reduced cultural inuence, but also the adoption of competitive strategies which relegate
cultural goals and programming to inconvenient hours. There is less room and money for
pursuing various cultural goals.
5
But in European policy, culture is becoming more and more
important because the European Union is not only an economical structure but one in which
tenths of cultures cohabitate and have to collaborate in order to make the union work. And for
a better collaboration, a better knowledge of each others culture is needed.

3
Bennet, p.76.
4
Bennet, p.80.
5
Bennet, p.82.
First of all lets take the case of the German minority. For that particular minority we
can find two specific emissions. One of these is the broadcast called AKZENTE. It is raised to
help the Germans inside and outside our country to keep in touch. Whether it's the
Transylvanian Saxons, the Swabians from Banat and Satu Mare, or the Germans from
Bukovina and Dobrudja, editorial Shows in German is with them, trying to find the problems
and needs and involved in their social and cultural life. The AKZENTE team works closely
with all associations and publications Germans in Romania, the official representatives of the
German state in our country, with public broadcaster Deutsche Welle, and with various
organizations and cultural centres in Germany. Editorial productions by German are both
topical issue, with news and headlines German language, but also shows type store which
includes reports and documentaries, cultural and entertainment categories. In 2003,
AKZENTE received from the National Audio-visual Council award for the best show in
minority inhabiting. In 2005, the documentary "The forgotten" - directed by Adrian Drguin,
with a screenplay by Tiberiu Stoichici - took the prize for best director at SIMFEST - Festival
of Local Televisions and independent producers. Awards are, however, only a consequence,
the primary mission is to be the glue AKZENTE a community that today also include,
according to statistics, only 60,000 members. Interestingly, however, the audience is slightly
different from the "spread" of issuing official census. Thanks subtitles in Romanian language,
the stories told in issues by the team led by Christel Hungarian opescu who have access to
the native language are not German. The second German show is Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
Monday at 13:00, on TVR 1. This show is about teaching a German language course and also
showing people some of the particularities of the German people minority in Romania and the
German people outside boarders of Romania.
Secondly, we take the case of the Hungarian minoritys specialised shows. "Hungarian
on TVR 1" or, as it was called before Kronika show, reflects social events, political or
cultural, but also presents a series of documentaries and reports from the Hungarian
community life, trying not to miss anything important from what is current. The program
enriches weekly social surveys, economic forums, conferences, political talk shows, and
interviews with personalities from the arts, theatre, dance, film, events advice, travel journals,
religious categories. The show is presented in Hungarian language.
Then, we should look upon the Roma case. Its minority counts officially 535,137
individuals, but Ilie Dinc, president of the National Agency for Roma (NAR), says that in
Romania it is estimated that there are around two million Roma people. The show explores
issues as access to education that is limited, living conditions are poor, the find jobs, many of
them fail outside the company, as criminals, and bear with them the stigma at home and
abroad. From 2005 onwards, using the tools of journalistic reportage, interview and
documentary show European Rom propose other ethnicities have a look to the life and culture
of Roma, beyond perceptions and prejudices. Rom is the only European television production
put under the microscope their problems - from education, social integration and lifestyle, to
rights and obligations, public policy - reflecting both traditions and events in Roma
communities. Every year, dozens of editions, TVR team staged stories of Roma communities
in the country and abroad, sought to find out details of their social life directly from the
source and through representatives of organizations that defend the rights. Among the topics
addressed over time include cultural festivals (Rome Cult Fest) communication campaigns,
educational camps, inclusion of Roma in the labour market, customs and traditional trades
(blacksmiths, silversmiths, coppersmiths, leather), saints and protectors of Roma (Sara Kali)
integration programs or education. Documentaries are complemented by interviews with
Roma representatives, public institutions, NGOs, experts on integration policies.
We can also find more general broadcasts, with the subject of cultural diversity.
Firstly, the emission called Convieturi. This broadcast states that it is a concrete action on
public television to overcome prejudices and discover every week the complexity of Romania.
The team of the show recommends that before engaging in discussions about ethnic
communities watch the show Convieturi, a modern agora where each community opens doors
of dialogue, expose their art and philosophy of life communicates its own cultural identity.
Team up your issue free tickets to this show of diversity. The show presents the lives of
people in different cultural communities all over Romania, traditions and customs of the old
secrets of cooking by a culinary delight. It also presents document images of museums,
memorials and personalities. The show also includes plays, launches and multi-ethnic
exhibitions, reports about the traditions that bind to major religious holidays or traditional
crafts. ProEtnica Festival, reflected in all its editions Romanian Television hosted in the city
of Sighisoara, is a good example of inter-ethnic mosaic. Because it reveals the rich cultural
heritage of communities: music, dance, books, movies, crafts, cuisine - in other words,
precisely those differences that approaches us. The interpretation of the festival organizers,
ProEtnica is a kind of "participatory and democratic counter-image to the history of mistrust
and self-isolation." In a similar way, you can watch the show cohabitation as a retort to the
distrust and prejudice, intolerance and lack of communication.
Minority culture is another emission of the TVR where Germans, Hungarians, Roma,
Tatars or Lipovani (Russian ethnics settled in Dobrogea) present their traditions and histories
of minority they belong to. From Monday to Friday, TVR 2 brings a show dedicated to
Romania's ethnic diversity, where minorities present culinary and cultural traditions, the
history of their communities and how they have settled in the territories they inhabit now.
Another show is From Thursday to Thursday is a show shop undergoing socio-political and
cultural events of the week. The show consists of debating topical issues of broad interest to
the guests in the studio in a relaxed, open minded manner. The hosts are browsing the
calendar and programs of cultural events including those for children and art lovers.
Identitati or Identities is only broadcast on TVR Cultural program where people
belonging to 18 ethnic minorities officially recognized in Romania tell about how they
perceive the world around them. Through painting, film, literature, music, sculpture,
architecture and dance. Everything plays more significant for ethnicity: history, traditions and
cultural habits. Therefore, there are two approaches, two extreme angles - one headed deep
inside the community, and the other, by the forms of talent, to the outside of it through
which a different ethnic group is portrayed.
Together in Europe. Words such as candy, pawn, velvet, rent, chat, or pumpkin soup,
leisurely, cost, nation, cunning, full, enemy, accounting and bank part of our vocabulary, we
use frequently, but rarely ask ourselves how come and how they got into Romanian. We have
many Romanian cuisine dishes that we enjoy but about whose origin we know nothing. There
are customs and traditions that we have inherited, which I borrowed, but they still feel our
own, although we do not know when and how they occurred. The show Together in Europe
gives a good picture of life explanatory dictionary ethnic groups in Romania. Together in
Europe is a good opportunity for meeting people of different cultures, a way of understanding
and acceptance of specific values and other ethnic groups and proximity to all the common
points: music, dance, poetry, theatre, fine arts, crafts books, movies, and cuisine. Monday to
Friday on TVR 2, Team Together in Europe takes you on a route with several important
markers: artistic events, habits, attitudes, old crafts, histories of churches, museums, religious
rituals. TVR journalists capture minority life, they reflect events involved in their problems,
trying to create solid communication bridges.
Regarding policy we should take in consideration a number of aspects. Firstly we
should talk about the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Unions Article 167. In this
article it is stated that the Union shall contribute to the flowering of the cultures of the
Member States, while respecting their national and regional diversity and at the same time
bringing the common cultural heritage to the fore. This is that Article 2 states: action by the
Union shall be aimed at encouraging cooperation between Member States and, if necessary,
supporting and supplementing their action in the following areas:
improvement of the knowledge and dissemination of the culture and history of the
European peoples,
conservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage of European significance,
non-commercial cultural exchanges,
artistic and literary creation, including in the audio-visual sector.
Also, another important article regarding cultural diversity inside a state is Article 4 which
states that the Union shall take cultural aspects into account in its action under other
provisions of the Treaties, in particular in order to respect and to promote the diversity of its
cultures.
11 For the purpose of the present communication, and in accordance with Article 16 of the EC
Treaty and the declaration (No 13) annexed to the final act of Amsterdam, the term "public
service" as of the Protocol on the system of public broadcasting in the Member States has to
be intended as referring to the term "service of general economic interest" used in Article
86(2). EN 6 EN technological progress", bring "the public the benefits of the new audio-
visual and information services and the new technologies" and to undertake "the development
and diversification of activities in the digital age". Finally, "public service broadcasting must
be able to continue to provide a wide range of programming in accordance with its remit as
defined by the Member States in order to address society as a whole; in this context it is
legitimate for public service broadcasting to seek to reach wide audiences"12
6

The cultural policy frameworks in operation in most jurisdictions are concerned to
strike some kind of balance between three considerations: social justice principles involving,
to varying degrees, the recognition of common cultural rights for all the members of a society;
the recognition of the distinctive claims to difference of autochthonous, immigrant,
indigenous and sub- or multinational communities; and the concern that all groups need to be
integrated into or cohered within a common national culture. While it is, for historical
reasons, unsurprising that this should be so, there is, I have also suggested, much to be learned
from the different ways in which these three issues are connected to each other in different
jurisdictions.
7


6
Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States,
meeting within the Council of 25 January 1999, OJ C 30, 5.2.1999, p. 1.
7
Bennet p.55.
The Treaty provides that The Union shall contribute to the flowering of the cultures
of the Member States, while respecting their national and regional diversity and at the same
time bringing the common cultural heritage to the fore. (Article 167 of the Treaty on the
Functioning of the European Union). Preservation and promotion of cultural diversity are
among the founding principles of the European model. They are enshrined in the Treaty and
in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
Cultural diversity has become one of the major issues of the international debate taking place
among international and regional organizations. The General Conference of UNESCO
adopted a Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions
on 20 October 2005. This UNESCO Convention aims to fill a legal vacuum in world
governance by establishing a series of rights and obligations, at both national and
international levels, with a view to the protection and promotion of cultural diversity. This
instrument should play a similar role for cultural diversity at the same normative level
as World International Property Organisation conventions, World Trade Organisation
agreements, World Health Organisation agreements and Multilateral Environment
Agreements. The Union ratified the Convention on 18 of December 2006 and the Convention
entered into force on 18 of March 2007.
8
(7) In its resolutions of 1 December 2005 (1) and 4
April 2006 (2) on the Doha Round and on the WTO Ministerial Conferences, the European
Parliament called for basic public services, such as audio-visual services, to be excluded from
liberalisation under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) negotiations. In its
resolution of 27 April 2006 (3), the European Parliament supported the Unesco Convention
on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, which states in
particular that cultural activities, goods and services have both an economic and a cultural
nature, because they convey identities, values and meanings, and must therefore not be
treated as solely having commercial value. Council Decision 2006/515/EC of 18 May 2006
on the conclusion of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of
Cultural Expressions (4 ) approved the Unesco Convention on behalf of the Community. The
Convention entered into force on 18 March 2007. This Directive respects the principles of
that Convention.
9

The AVMS states that audio-visual media services are as much cultural services as they are
economic services. Their growing importance for societies, democracy in particular by
ensuring freedom of information, diversity of opinion and media pluralism education and
culture justifies the application of specific rules to these services.
10

12. The importance of public service broadcasting for social, democratic and cultural
life in the Union was reaffirmed in the Council Resolution concerning public service
broadcasting. As underlined by the Resolution: "Broad public access, without discrimination
and on the basis of equal opportunities, to various channels and services is a necessary
precondition for fulfilling the special obligation of public service broadcasting". Moreover,
public service broadcasting needs to "benefit from distinguished from the narrower concept
of "audio-visual media service(s)", as defined in Article 1(a) of the Audio-visual Media
Services Directive. 9 OJ 2000 C 364, p. 110 Judgement in case C-260/89 ERT, [1991] ECR
I-2925.
11


8
http://ec.europa.eu/avpolicy/info_centre/a_z/index_en.htm#c
9
AVMS
10
AVMS
11
Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States,
The role of public service broadcasting in promoting cultural diversity was also
recognised by the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the
Diversity of Cultural Expressions, which was approved by the Council on behalf of the
Community and thus forms part of EC law.13 The Convention states that each Party may
adopt measures aimed at protecting and promoting the diversity of cultural expressions
within its territory. Such measures may include, among others, measures aimed at
enhancing diversity of the media, including through public service broadcasting.14
12
At the
same time, given the specific nature of the broadcasting sector, and the need to safeguard the
editorial independence of the public service broadcasters, a qualitative definition entrusting a
given broadcaster with the obligation to provide a wide range of programming and a balanced
and varied broadcasting offer is generally considered, in view of the interpretative provisions
of the Amsterdam Protocol, legitimate under Article 86(2).39 Such a definition is generally
considered consistent with the objective of fulfilling the democratic, social and cultural needs
of a particular society and guaranteeing pluralism, including cultural and linguistic diversity.
As expressed by the Court of First Instance, the legitimacy of such a widely defined public
service remit rests upon the qualitative requirements for the services offered by a public
service broadcaster.40
13

The Treaty of Amsterdam states that considering that the system of public
broadcasting in the Member States is directly related to the democratic, social and cultural
needs of each society and to the need to preserve media pluralism. The provisions of the
Treaty establishing the European Community shall be without prejudice to the competence of
Member States to provide for the funding of public service broadcasting insofar as such
funding is granted to broadcasting organisations for the fulfilment of the public service remit
as conferred, defined and organised by each Member State, and insofar as such funding does
not affect trading conditions and competition in the Community to an extent which would be
contrary to the common interest, while the realisation of the remit of that public service shall
be taken into account.
14

If we are talking about national laws, the National Audiovisual Council (CNA) is an
autonomous public authority under parliamentary control and guarantor of the public interest
in visual communication. In the framework of the Broadcasting Act no. 504/2002, amended
by Law no. 402/2003, CNA ensures: compliance of pluralist expression of ideas and opinions
in programs broadcast by broadcasters under their jurisdiction; pluralism of information
sources and free competition in the audiovisual sector, protection of culture and Romanian
language, culture and languages of national minorities; a balance between national
broadcasting services and local, regional or thematic, protection of minors, protection of
human dignity, protection of culture and Romanian language, culture and minorities
language, transparent means of mass communication in the audiovisual sector. CNA is
authorized to issue, pursuant to law, rules on audiovisual advertising and teleshopping
programming and broadcasting of election campaigns and the cultural responsibilities of
broadcasters. It states in Article 84 that audiovisual media services must reflect the Romanian

meeting within the Council of 25 January 1999, OJ C 30, 5.2.1999, p. 1.
12
UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions,
approved by Council decision 2006/515/EC of 18.5.2006. In accordance with Annex 2 to of the Council
decision, the Community is bound by the Convention and will ensure its implementation.
14 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, Article
6 (1) and (2) h)
13
Broadcasting comm
14
Amsterdam treaty
and European cultural space. In Article 70 it is stated that in the news and debates on issues of
public interest concerning ethnic, religious or sexual minorities, the latter will present their
point of view.
The law of national minorities states in Article 26 that (1) The public radio and
television provide, at appropriate hours and audio possibilities, viewing or across the country,
spaces for programs in minority languages and (3) At the request of minority fundamental
ensure regional radio or TV broadcasts in their language in public stations throughout the day.
Issues related to ensuring these issues are regulated by special rules.
15

Romania, as a member of the European Union, is respecting their national and regional
diversity as Article 167 states, through television programmes and other cultural activities.
This is done by disseminating cultures and histories of minorities who live in Romanias
territory but also through broadcasts which present European cultures and traditions. The
accent is put on conservation of European cultural heritage. It addresses society as a whole
without discriminating between cultures, ethnicities or nationalities, and it is trying to reach
wider audiences through its programmes. It is actively promoting the diversity of cultural
expression within state boarders and outside of them, making other European cultures known
to Romanian citizens with shows as xxxxxxx.
The programmes in the Romanian public televisions broadcasts are balanced between
national minorities and enhancing also the common European cultural heritage. It is actively
preserving media pluralism and independence of media, benefiting by funding and support
from the state and National Audio-visual Council. The CAN regulates the pluralism of
expression, ensures the pluralism of information sources and provides the right of reply to all
its citizens regardless of their sexual, ethnic or national character. The national minorities are
also offer broadcasts in their own language on national television throughout the day.
We can see clearly that the Romanian public television has a big number of programmes
dedicated to the national and ethnic minorities that are present in the country. We are talking
here about the main minorities in terms of numbers. These are the ones that are better
represented in the TV programmes of the TVR. The minorities that are smaller in number
than the main ones like Turks or Tatars are also well represented in the broadcasts but not
specific ones like for the bigger minorities. Regarding the case of the Romanian public
television (TVR) we may state that their programmes are made in a way that they respect the
cultural values of the people that inhabit Romanian territory. All the national minorities have
the opportunity to express themselves through broadcasts created by the Romanian public
television. Hungarians, Roma, German and others have dedicated programs in which they can
make their culture and traditions visible to the country they inhabit and which they are a part
of.




15
http://www.dri.gov.ro/documents/lege_minoritati_forma_finala_guvern.pdf