Skopje, 24 September 2018 – The Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services concluded that, following its public notification of 14 September, two of those broadcasters that had been subject to supervision in terms of the manner in which they cover the referendum had not harmonized the airing of paid public propaganda with the Guidelines for Media Coverage during the Referendum.
1TV had failed to observe the permitted time limits for airing the advertising messages “IN FAVOUR” of the Referendum, while Sonce TV had aired the advertising messages calling to “BOYCOT” the Referendum in a number of editions of its special information programmes, contrary to the rules.
Additionally, the checkup of the observance of the rules for airing paid public propaganda in this period detected exemptions in terms of the limits for airing the advertising messages “IN FAVOUR” of the Referendum in the case of several broadcasters. If the data collected in the following days indicate that these were not unintentional mistakes, measures will follow against these broadcasters in line with the valid regulations.