Foreign ministry renews funding for expat TV

TVP chairman Juliuz Braun (L) and Deputy Minister Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz (R) : photo - MSZ

The ministry has allocated 8 million zloty (1.9 million euros) to supplement the channel's budget for this year.

“We want information about Poland to reach Poles whose forefathers lived in our country,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz during the signing of the document, as cited in a statement released by the ministry.

“I also hope that in the coming months TVP Polonia will be able to reach them ever more comprehensively and become ever more attractive,” she added.

The TVP Polonia channel was launched in 1992, and this year's supplementary funding from the ministry builds on an agreement concluded in 2010.

“This is a clear signal that the ministry of foreign affairs and TVP Polonia are cooperating to ensure that coverage of Poland reaches the broadest possible audience of Poles living abroad,” Pelczynska-Nalecz affirmed.

Juliusz Braun, chairman of the board of TVP reflected that “TVP Polonia reaches Poles in the East and West, in America and in Australia.

“Creating an offer that is attractive to the whole audience is a tough job, so there’s plenty of work ahead of us,” Juliusz Braun said.

“We want to do this in cooperation with the MFA,” he added.

Roughly a third of TVP's funding comes from subscriptions for licences, complemented by income from advertising and sponsorship.

However, owing to the low frequency of subscription payments, reform is pending over the organisation of funding. (nh)

Source: msz.gov.pl