Portugal will carry out a profound remodeling of RTP but postpones its privatization

The Portuguese executive plans to dismiss 600 of RTP's 2,069 workers (a third of the workforce) in a reform whose budget amounts to 42 million euros. For the moment, privatization would be postponed.

With a budget of 42 million euros, the Council of Ministers of Portugal has given the green light to a profound restructuring of Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP).
However, the Portuguese Government has declined, for the moment, to privatize the public broadcaster, as it had announced, given the "unfavorable situation in the markets." The Deputy Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Miguel Relvas, has already announced that this reform process will be “very demanding and painful.” Regarding privatization, he has assured that "the proposal expressed in the Government program is maintained."

Relvas believes that it is viable to have television with more quality and less money and hopes, after the changes, that the state channel will have "a more daring and modern vision." In 2012, RTP cost 540 million euros. For this year, the Government plans to increase income through advertising and with the audiovisual tax that the Portuguese pay along with their electricity bill. Starting in 2014, RTP will no longer receive any subsidy.

Ante el plan anunciado por el Gobierno portugués, el presidente del Consejo de Administración de RTP, Alberto da Ponte, lo ha rechazado de pleno matizando que más que un plan de reestructuración lo que por el momento existe es “solo una intención. Ninguna decisión, sin embargo, está cerrada. Daremos prioridad al diálogo con las estructuras que representan a los empleados”.

En unas declaraciones a Express, Alberto da Ponte admite que ante el despido de trabajadores “todo será negociado”. El ejecutivo portugués prevé el despido de 600 de los 2.069 trabajadores de RTP (un tercio de la plantilla).

Reacción de la UER

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has urged Lisbon in relation to the reform of its partner RTP for the Government to “prioritise the quality of the station's production in its planned restructuring”.

The general director of the EBU, Ingrid Deltenre, who last September described the privatization of RTP as “reckless”, has assured that the Government must protect the public broadcaster's ability to serve the Portuguese public.

“Los ahorros de eficiencia son un mal necesario en muchos países, y muchos miembros de la UER se enfrentan a dificultades financieras. Pero cuando los tiempos son duros, las personas a su vez más que nunca pide a su radiotelevisión un servicio público de información fiable y de calidad”, aseguró Deltenre.

La directora de la UER, ha añadido que le parece “alentador ver que el Gobierno portugués se ha comprometido a crear un moderno y preparado para el futuro, servicio público de radiodifusión, mientras concibe lo que parece ser una estrategia de financiación realista”.