Bosnia and Herzegovina‘s troubled national broadcaster BHRT will suspend broadcast operations from 30 June, as a direct result of the broadcaster’s substantial debts. This further throws into doubt future participation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Eurovision.
The BHRT management board has ruled that from 30 June, the broadcaster will suspend production and broadcast operations. This is a direct response to the broadcaster having debts of over KM 25 million (€12 million) between its two televisin networks, made up of KM 16.5 million (€8.4 million) owed by Radio-televizije Federacije BiH and KM 8.8 million (€4.5 million) owed by Radio-televizije Republike Srpske.
Part of this debt is the payment owed to the European Broadcasting Union, with the BHRT owing 16 million Swiss francs, with payment of a first installation due at the end of May.
The overall debt is a long-standing issue for the broadcaster, but the BHRT has been unable to come up with a payment solution, with further issues surrounding the television licence fee and financing of public service broadcasting.
While Romania’s TVR lost its EBU benefits due to its unpaid debt, it continues to broadcast. BHRT’s planned shutdown will leave Bosnia and Herzegovina as the only European country without a national public broadcaster.
If a solution to the debt crisis is not found soon, Bosnia and Herzegovina will again be absent from Eurovision, after narrowly missing out on qualifying after making their comeback in Stockholm.
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ESC Addict, you are absolutely genious. I’m very sure that EBU is a very poor society which needs money to continue. A company which runs maybe hundreds billions really stays on 16 million dollars from a television. I think that they are practically in insolvence without that money, yes you’re right. And yes, getting rid of that televisions really solve the problem, I mean of course now that this televisions even don’t get any benefits from EBU, they will pay that money. Open your eyes, this BHRT is dissapearing, so that means there remains no debt to be paid, with… Read more »
@EscAddict
instead of posting your rubbish… you should go and change your picture to a nicer one… and your comment is rubbish .. my comment is a smart one!!
@OR
Instead posting all your rubbish, why don’t you pay B&H’s bill, if you think it is insignificant. EBU need money to keep going. No freeloaders.
@ninasublatti
Why are these countries leaving? Aren’t you following what is going on? Unbelievable!
What, 16 million francs, exactly as Romania??? And EBU didn’t care about that until the end of the contest? EBU, don’t you think this is discriminating? And it seems that Bosnia appeared by the night, what about all the countries with debts? Cause I really think that more than a half of Eurovision should have been disqualified from Eurovision this year. Oh, wait, they didn’t all have a message that could have upset a part of Europe’s richest society. Good decision BHRT, maybe EBU would have asked for your money days before Eurovision 2017, after they would have stolen a… Read more »
@OR I’m not even sure where to begin with all this. First of all, every example I gave is EXACTLY like the current situation. You perform an action (or inaction), you face consequences. You shoplift, you go to jail. You don’t pay your bills, you get cut off. It doesn’t matter if the other party “needs” the money or not. You made a deal, you’re not living up your end of it. I was one of the first to day that the EBU’s timing on the Romania issue was terrible, and I still believe it was. But that doesn’t mean… Read more »
*EBU
@Pollaski HHHHHHHHH LOL Why are you cynical to me? you lacking money? First of all, your comparisons is not similar to the above case, the state’s who did not pay the debt is not “criminal’s” if we go with your your logic also Greece, Spain, Portugal and Ireland are countries that were or still cost a huge debt into the European Union, so what to do? Put the residents these countries to jail or Cutting off their communication services…?? reallyyyyyyyyy I think EUB should Manage the situation differently and run on other sanctions or at-least to announce to Romania from… Read more »
@OR
Why did WalMart have to humiliate that shoplifter by calling the police on them? I mean, really, do you think WalMart is lacking money?
Why did the power company have to humiliate that guy by shutting his electricity off for not paying his bill? I mean, really, do you think the power company is lacking money?
Why did that police officer have to humiliate that guy for speeding by giving him a ticket? I mean, really, do you think the police is lacking money?
I really dont understand why the EBU have to to humiliate those country’s … i mean really do you really think that the Ebu lacking money?? Why they had to expel Romania after Romania had a song ready and after that the singer of Romania participated in the promo and even arrived in to Israel to promote the song, Eurovision Goal from the beginning was/is to bring together the countries of Europe and to build bridges, so the Ebu could settle with these countries in other ways and prevent degradation, and disappointment for fans of Eurovision in these countries …
How many disdainful comments here, I cannot believe it!! And how much ignorance!! Bosnia&Herzegovina being one of the constituents of ex-Yugoslavia, which has been present at the ESC from 1 9 6 1., has just as much right to be part of today’s ESC as ANY other member of the EBU. Its first contribution actually goes as back as 1964! And, as for their debts: this amount of money is peanuts even to Bosnian nouveau-riche “élite” so it’s not the real problem. The real problem is the shameful lack of pollitical will to maintain a once very respectable state-run institution… Read more »
@Osterrike
Did.. did you just use “paying for public television” as a litmus test of patriotism?
I actually do pay for BHRT, Österrike. As a citizen of B&H I care about what’s going on there, and I am more entitled than you to care about it. That’s what happens when you vote in every single election, you have the right to care about it. And you don’t have that right, so that means I can yell at you. Yes, living and being a citizen of Sweden is nice too. It’s a lovely country. Though it’s not a s tolerant any-more as you think. But my job is really good and well-paid so that cancels it out.… Read more »
That would be a good idea kyllito. Let B&H cooperate with Romania and maybe together, their money would be enough to select one entrant. This year, B&H won.
Denis, if you love your country of origin so much, you better return and pay for your broadcaster. But I guess you prefer living in Austria or Sweden, enjoying tolerance, Social welfare and contributing nothing for Bosnia but voting for it no matter the song. But then you are not entitled to BiH’s destiny. Everyone knows it is a failed state, only the Bosniak constituency fails to acknowledge that.
Split up your country first and give parts to other countries and see how you would like it. Keep out of my country of origin, please!
A good situation could be to do as in Belgium & Switzerland: Give each group/language their own broadcaster! Create one umbrella organisation with three equal separate broadcasters that focus on each group but let the umbrella organization take care of ESC and other major events,and let the citizens pay for whichever of the broadcaster they want. This works for Switzerland..
@ karminowe.usta
Not sure if I’m reading this right. Are you saying that only failing public TV stations should be allowed to do Eurovision because it’d be so unfair to let successful commercial stations that have more money do it ?
Is that seriously what you’re trying to argue?
@ JJ and Osterikke you can give parts of your country to any other country you want, but keep your hands off my country!Split your country and give parts of your country , but get the f… off my country!
Najebem vam se matere cetnicke i ustaske, picke jedne. Niste mogli nista uraditi kad ste imali svo oruzje JNA I HV iza sebe, kurac cete uraditi sada.Pokusajte, mater vam jebem cetnicku i ustasku!
Private TV couldn`t show Eurovision – in my opinion isn`t good solution because commercial channels often are better and have a lot of money.
“I would recommend splitting up this fake state and give Republika Srpska to Serbia and Herzegovina to Croatia.”
This ignores that some parts of Herzegovina or in Republika Srpska and are historically majority Serb-population.
Plus, Croatia already purged most of its Serb population, so the Bosnian Croats can move there – Krajina region, for instance.
The Muslims can get all of the “Muslim-Croat” Federation.
The problem is that BiH is a failed state of three constituencies that do not co-exist well together (like Ukraine). And therefore the state broadcaster was a head without a body, no one was paying the legal fees to fund the broadcaster.
I would recommend splitting up this fake state and give Republika Srpska to Serbia and Herzegovina to Croatia. (Serbia could accept Kosovo as an independent state then)
Maybe there could be one national final for all of the debtor nations that would provide one debtor entrant to ESC 2017.
davve, for once it was their own decision, they wasn’t forced like unresponsible TVR, by the Ovidiu-hating EBU. Justice for Ovidiu
Things don’t look good indeed. Would be a shame if they had to withdraw yet again.
No TV… oh no, lol. And no esc. They’ll have to use Serb, Montegrin or Croatia TV now.
I thought they owed the EBU 6 million CHF, not 16 million? 😛
I hope they will find a solution to their problem 🙁
Is it just me, or does Deen look hot in that picture? LOL!!!
@oooops
The televote didn’t like Estonia because people who listened to “Play” for the first time must have thought that it’s just another boring and bland song (although I disagree on that). It just didn’t stand out at all. However, I don’t understand why the juries ranked them dead last.
Seriously, public television is becoming more and more obsolete. Hopefully a commercial B&H channel can take over and avoid this headache.
Swede, and our country’s televote gave them 12 points, but maybe their non-excisting 2017 entry would have changed your mind. I understand why we gave 12 points, but not why we gave 14th place to Estonia. It looks almost the same in all countries televote except Finland. Is there something corrupt in televoiting. But the jury voiting this year was even more corrupt, so never mind…
However, I feel sad for BiH, they are after june 30th the only country in europe not having a functional broadcaster. What should the bosnians use their TV for now?…
Considering all problems they had I am amazed they stayed this long. Though it’s of course no doubt a shame and I wonder what Europe will think of a country that can’t even have a public broadcaster?
I also find it bad for ESC cause B&H used to send amazing entries, and I was looking forward to a grand return from them.
Hopefully they come up with a new solution soon..Why not do as in Belgium?
Yes
I hate that country
oh no….