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The Round table “Media and Digital Convergence: Policy and Developments in Europe and Croatia” was organized by the Institute for International Relations (IMO), Zagreb and the Media Division of the Council of Europe. IMO requested the assistance of the Council of Europe in organizing the round table, within the framework of the technical assistance of the Council of Europe to Croatia in the media field.
The Round Table took place on October 19, 2005.
The aim of the Round Table was to increase the understanding in Croatia of new technological changes that severely changes the modes of operation in media landscapes in Europe. More specifically, the organizers aimed to stimulate a professional public discussion about digital convergence trends, especially as regards the changes resulting in the field of broadcasting (affecting the adaptation of contents, production and distribution, new platforms, and the use of the Internet), and about the activities to be carried out at the public policy level in Croatia. The aim of the Round table was also to show how different European countries implement these changes, and their country-specific measures for the digital switchover process that could provide a better application of these experiences in Croatia.
The agenda for the Round table was worked out in cooperation between the Media Division (Eugen Cibotaru) and IMO (Dr. Zrinjka Peruško). The Media Division of the Council of Europe invited two European experts to give lectures on the experiences of different European countries in implementing the digital switchover in the field of broadcasting. Consultants invited by the Council of Europe were Ms. Catherine Smadja (Digital and Commercial Broadcasting, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, United Kingdom) and Mr. Rolf Brandrud (Norwegian Television Ltd., Norway). Ms Lejla Dervišagić of the Media Division agreed to give a lecture about the Council of Europe work in the field of digital convergence.
IMO invited experts from Croatia with experience in the field of media legislature and digital switchover. Ms. Željka Antunović, Member of Parliament, President of the Committee on Information, Computerization and the Media agreed to participate in the opening of the round table in which she stressed the importance of the topic discussed for policy makers, since it concerns issues that demands a new form of organization in state institutions, as well as new regulations in a field. Dr. Dijana Šimić from Central State Bureau for e-Croatia gave a lecture on the Croatian experience in the development of IT standards and promotion of IT market and technologies. IMO also invited Mr. Denis Peričić, President of the Council for Electronic Media to present the key tasks of the Council in this process, Mr. Ivo Majerski from the Croatian Telecommunications Agency to present the activities of the Agency in this field; and Mr. Tonko Obuljen to introduce the activities implemented by the Transmitters and Communications Ltd. Dr. Zrinjka Peruško, Head of the Department for Culture and Communication at IMO, agreed to give a lecture on global media trends that the digital convergence trend forms part of; Dr. Nada Zgrabljić Rotar, editor-in-chief of the journal ‘Media Research’, shared the implications of digitalization on radio broadcasting. Finally, Ms. Tena Perišin (Croatian Television - HTV) and Mr. Josip Ćurković, (director of Radio DeeJay, Internet radio) shared their practical experiences that digitalization brings about in their respective media.
The Media Division of the Council of Europe provided a number of relevant documents on digitalization to be distributed to the participants.
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In order to raise general public awareness about the importance of the issue of media digital convergence, a press release was sent to Croatian media before the event.
Media coverage of the event included press coverage, published on Monday, 24 October 2005, in the daily newspaper Poslovni dnevnik. The interview was given by dr. Zrinjka Peruško, Institute for International Relations. The Internet portal T-Portal also informed about the topics discussed on the round table (available on: http://www.tportal.hr/tehnologija/mobiteli/fset.html)
Press clippings are attached to the printed report. A review of the Round Table will also be published in the journal Media Research.
The presentations given by the participants were distributed to all conference participants, as well as the background information of the event by Dr. Peruško. In addition, relevant documents regulating the area of digitalization were given to all participants:
Recommendation Rec(2003)9 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on measures to promote the democratic and social contribution of digital broadcasting (Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 28 May 2003 at the 840th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies)
Communication from the commission to the council, the European parliament, the European economic and social committee and the committee of the regions: “i2010 – A European Information Society for growth and employment” {SEC(2005)717}.
The materials sent by the European Audiovisual Observatory on convergence of audiovisual media and the development of new digital technologies were also distributed.
The Round Table was held in the Great Hall of the Croatian Journalists Association in Zagreb and provoked a great deal of interest that was beyond the expectations of the organizers. The target groups for the Round Table were those responsible for media policy in Croatia, representatives of media companies, editors and technical directors, as well as Croatian and international media and media policy professionals. The Round Table was attended by 56 participants from Croatia, United Kingdom, Norway and France. The target group was reached, and the debate in the Round Table and during the breaks showed the importance and timeliness of the topic. In informal feedback to the conference organizers some of the participants noted that they would be interested to further discuss the issues of digitalization of the media In this way, they felt, their specific problems (e.g. what approach to adopt in the process of digital switchover, and how to make the activities, conducted by specific institutions, more coordinated and publicly known) could be better discussed and solutions envisaged.
The Round Table showed a need to further analyze the issue of media digital convergence in Croatia, as there is little empirical research which could serve as a basis for legislation that captures the trends of digital convergence. Literature on the subject is also practically non-existent in Croatia.
The round table discussion was opened by Dr. Zrinjka Peruško, Head of Department for Culture and Communication, Institute for International Relations, Ms. Lejla Dervišagić from Council of Europe - Media Division, and Ms. Željka Antunović, Member of Parliament, President of the Committee on Information, Computerization and the Media, Croatian Parliament. After a short introduction on the topic given by Dr. Peruško, Ms. Dervišagić pointed out the objectives of the Council of Europe in the field of digital convergence which served as an overall framework for the organization of the round table. The main interests of the Council of Europe are to ensure public access to digital technologies, and to proceed with the switchover from analog to digital technology. At the end of the opening session Ms. Antunović pointed out the role of the Committee as the only state body that has an obligation to cover this area as a whole, while other state institutions are responsible for its particular segments. Convergence blur the borders of sectors that were once divided, therefore a reorganization of the activities of state bodies, as well as an intervention in legislative regulations are needed. These new changes demand a discussion of these issues.
The first thematic part of the round table was devoted to trends of digital convergence and democratic and social aspects of digital broadcasting. It was introduced with the presentation by Dr. Zrinjka Peruško ‘Digital Convergence Trends: Issues and Developments'. She pointed out four global media trends: media concentration, hyper commercialization, liberalization of media markets and technological convergence. Within the liberalization trend there occurs also a countertrend that highlights the importance in stimulating cultural diversity and pluralism of media for which UNESCO and Council of Europe are advocating. Media policy in Central and Eastern Europe are developed in three phases: the first one refers to the division from state (freedom of speech, structural independence of media), the second phase refers to arrangement of media markets (the introduction of foreign capital, beginning of specific regulation of media competition and antimonopoly regulation), while the third phase is directed to harmonization with EU regulation. The situation in Croatia can be described as a mix of the second and the third phases, that is, the issue of media freedom has been mainly solved while there is much to be done in the sector of digitalization. What has to be highlighted is that problems connected to digital convergence are not new only in Croatia; they are also evident on a global scale. There are numerous questions that are looking for an answer in digital surroundings such as: future regulation of radio frequency specter; wireless network; digital television; ensuring access and free flow; regulation of television and converged media content; ensuring diversity and plurality of program; question of vertical integration and prevention from concentration of ownership; role of public broadcasting and prevention of the digital divide; etc. Public policy has to put down the strategy of transition to digital broadcasting which, among other, includes decisions on whether the state will provide citizens with incentives for digital switchover, whether it will initiate and support the development of media literacy among de-privileged populations, and whether it will aim at protecting human rights in a digital environment. As regards PSB, states should provide legal, financial and technical conditions that would enable them to withhold their full public service in this period. In addition, state measures should ensure conditions that will enable public service broadcasters to be present on diverse digital platform (cable, satellite, terrestrial transmission) that secures public access to all of these platforms.
The next presentation was given by Ms. Catherine Smadja from Digital and Commercial Broadcasting, Department for Culture, Media and Sport – UK, who spoke on 'Democratic and Social Aspects of Digital Broadcasting'. She stressed the importance of the media in the creation of public spheres – the significance of right to freedom of speech and information, freedom to transfer and collect information and ideas of diverse character, as well as the importance of freedom from state control and censorship. In this context satellite contributes to the creation of news diversity, due to its possibility to 'escape' governing structure control. However, the question of whether an increase of the number of channels results in larger diversity of content or not, remains to be an open question.
The following section was devoted to national examples in the development of public policy instruments in the sector of digitalization. Ms. Smadja presented the British experience of digital switchover in broadcasting. The process was started with no clear strategy on how to go about the digital switchover. A detailed strategy plan of digitalization was put in place 2002, in which the conversion will be posited gradually by regions, with the intention to, eventually, have a full coverage. With this the problem arises as whether the subscribers will be willing and able to switch to digital technology and whether the state should provide help in this process. It became apparent that vulnerable groups have to be taken into account in the development of the strategy. The way that Great Britain approached the problem of switchover to digital transmission is not the only one – it is possible to get full coverage through the mixture of diverse platforms, but in that case it would oblige consumers to pay more. After detailed analysis of problems and challenges of the British model, Ms. Smadja stressed the political dimension of the process of digital convergence which brings about benefits for the creators of public policies, regulators and competition authorities, due to its contribution in the promotion of competition in the electronic communications area, to the stimulation of content industry as well as to the diversity and access to a wider range of population.
In the next presentation, Mr. Denis Peričić, President of the Council for Electronic Media, Croatia, stressed the importance of digital convergence, describing the process as a technological and social revolution. Convergence means integration of telecommunication, information and media aspects, with a stress on interactivity. The role of the Council is to take over three key tasks in this process, and these are: licensing, arranging the systems of multiplexes, and execution of legal provisions on program obligations in program contents on all platforms, executed in accordance to the 'soft' approach, meaning an emphasis on co-regulation and self-regulation, promoted by the European Commission.
Dr. Dijana Šimić from Central State Bureau for e-Croatia emphasized that digital convergence is the key in the development of an information society, and therefore recognized as crucial in the overall development of a given society. Croatia has already signed several contracts for the regional development of broadband. There are two important aspects that Croatia has to work on: development of IT standards and promotion of IT market and technologies. Therefore, the development of infrastructure in the overall region is important for the future development of this field in Croatia.
The discussion on the development of public policies in the sector of digitalization in Croatia was continued with the presentation of Mr. Ivo Majerski from the Croatian Telecommunications Agency. He focused on practical issues connected to digital convergence, and he also presented activities of the Agency in this field. After a brief overview of professional terms used in this field of action, Mr. Majerski pointed out some of the problems that the Agency encounters in their line of work. He stressed that the plan for the switchover has been constructed in detail, the country has been divided into special allotment zones, and 90% of the plan has been coordinated with the neighboring countries. Mr. Majerski pointed out that Croatia has a considerable know-how in this field which, with the right strategy, could be further developed in a significant way.
Additional data on the current situation in the field of digital conversion in Croatia was given by Mr. Tonko Obuljen from Transmitters and Communications Ltd., who stressed how their work in this field could be described as a 'continuous experimental work’ which implies permanent difficulties in the development of the field due to the inability of the network to expand. The reasons for this are high prices of the transmitters, as well as deficient legislation in the field that hinders its further development. The importance of the switchover to DVB-T derives from positive characteristics such as the economizing of energy, the resistance to interruptions and the possibilities of mobile work. In order to develop further, the legislation in Croatia has to be harmonized with the one currently being developed within the EU, and executed accordingly. It is crucial to develop an adequate general public policy in the field of electronic media as well as to establish conditions for a fair market competition. The state has to ensure that the users have free access to content of vital national interest (culture programs, information, and education programs) by which the role of the public television is crucial.
Short discussions followed the presentations in which it was noted that convergence has a much broader reach, and that the discussion should not focus only on television, but also include optical fiber, cable television, broadband etc. It is not clear whether Croatia has already opted for DVB-T - if so - when that decision was made, and why the decision was not submitted to a public debate of experts. Participants stressed that the state should ensure a fair market competition that would ensure the easiest, cheapest, switchover for all citizens. Some participants noted that the discussion has been too much concentrated on the commercial aspects of the media and convergence, and that there was no discussion on the public good, while others stressed that the technological aspect of the media was emphasized too much.
Second part of the round table was dedicated to experiences of electronic media in the process of digitalization. Mr. Rolf Brandrud from Norwegian Television spoke on the experiences connected to digital broadcasting in Norway. He highlighted how the approach from Great Britain is less efficient in countries with smaller number of inhabitants, which means smaller media markets. In addition, one has to bear in mind the geographical characteristics of a country. These characteristics are important in choosing the approach for digital switchover, which is why the Norwegian example is of interest to Croatia, since these countries have similar population size and hence, similar size of media markets. In the process of digitalization, especially in choosing the approaches to which the households will be stimulated to buy set top boxes, Mr. Brandrud emphasized two possible approaches. The 'gentle’ approach, in which the period of simulcast (parallel analog and digital transmission) is prolonged, seems to be inadequate because the costs of transmission are too high, and because it creates a gap between users of national analog televisions and users of foreign digital televisions. The other, 'tough' approach, in which analog transmission is turned off in a short period, is favorable as it frees a large number of digital signals with reduced economic costs; however, it is also politically unpopular as it put users in a position in which they have to purchase the equipment within a short period of time. At the end of his presentation, Mr. Brandrud stressed the privileged position of those countries that are late comers to the process of digitalization have, because it offers them a possibility to learn from good and bad experiences of countries that started with the process earlier.
Ms. Tena Perišin from Croatian Television (HTV) stressed the importance of a clear usage of terminology in the discussions on digitalization. After defining several key terms, she pointed out the existence of three levels of digitalization: digitalization of equipment (that has already been done in public service television); digitalization of production, which changes the process of program production in total and therefore demands additional education on new technologies; and digitalization of transmission, meaning digitalization on a broader national level. Ms. Perišin presented the project of digitalization of news programs implemented at the Croatian public service television HTV, which have had major impact on the process of work in the field of production. In her conclusion, Ms. Perišin highlighted the key objectives of HTV: total digitalization of the production of news program, digitalization of the entire HTV program, and modernization of the systems of archives.
The implications of digitalization on radio broadcasting was problematized in the presentation given by Dr. Nada Zgrabljić Rotar, editor-in-chief of the ‘Media Research’ journal, who presented the research project 'Digital Radio Culture in Croatia and Europe – DRACE', a project conducted in a number of European countries, which forms part of a larger project EU COST A20 (European Cooperation in the Field of Scientific and Technical Research). The project concentrates on changes that appear in radio production as a consequence of numerous technological changes - such as the digital transmission switchover - as well as other changes that occur due to the impact that the Internet has in the sphere of radio broadcasting. Dr. Zgrabljić Rotar showed the results of an empirical research undertaken within this project including the analysis of web portals of radio stations in Croatia. This research showed the following: that the average radio web portal in Croatia has been set up in 2003, with the key motive to create a modern image of the radio station; a key criterion for the creation of such a website is to provide information, however, the sources of information are usually not mentioned, and web portals are not updated regularly; profiles of visitors do not exist; web portals do not contribute to the profits of the radio stations; finally, only some web portals have archives with information. Dr. Zgrabljić Rotar concluded with a question: Are we witnessing the process of medialization of the Internet or the internetization of the radio? In order to answer this, there is a need for more research in this field.
The last presentation was given by Mr. Josip Ćurković, director of Radio DeeJay, the only Internet radio in Croatia, who spoke on the need for reorganization of the Croatian radio space, and on problems that local radio stations are encountering in the attempt to obtain a frequency.
In the discussion that followed Ms. Zrinjka Vrabec Mojzeš, Radio 101, stressed the example of Radio 101 and the experiences with their web portal - the interaction of the users of web portals is considerably lower compared to the numbers of radio listeners, which is connected to the fact that the number of Internet users in Croatia is still low, but also to the fact that these are different types of media - radio is used by people on the move, while the use of a web portal implies a static position. Dr. Zgrabljić Rotar added that the question appears of whether a new way of communication occurs with the usage of new technologies or whether it is a reproduction of the old ways only? Mr. Nenad Stazić, Member of Parliament, underlined that the issues presented at the round table indicates that the digitalization process in Croatia occurs in an insulated way: it happens in distinct sectors and institutions but without an overall strategy. He also pointed out that a discussion on the influences of new technologies in the strengthening of democratization processes would have been useful, in the context of the strengthening of commercial media that do not offer new content, but only reproduces the same content on different channels. The increase of the number of programs as a consequence of digitalization has no sense if it does not increase the diversity of content. It is the role of the Government to define the legislative regulations in this area. Mr. Zlatko Papeš from Croatian Association for the Promotion of New Education and Knowledge stressed the importance of interactivity and network connection, as well as the importance of the new responsibilities of the providers and users of new media. At the end of the discussion Mr. Rolf Brandrud highlighted that Croatia has to ensure (with adequate legislature) the quotas for content of Croatian origin in public as well as private media. |
