Image: poland.gov.pl
The channel, which was launched in 1992, is co-funded by the Foreign Ministry and TV and radio licence payers.
A new channel under the working title of TVP Polska has been put forward, with the ministry estimating that costs of setting up the venture would be 25 million zloty (5.9 million euro).
TVP Polska would put more emphasis on the Polish communities in Eastern Europe, while still trying to reach “the widest possible audience.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz has stressed that the ministry “is not satisfied with TVP Polonia as a channel for the Polish community abroad.”
She said that programmes currently on TVP Polonia “should be of the highest quality and correspond with Poland's policy objectives,” adding that the channel “does not meet these requirements at present.”
While stressing that English subtitles are still desirable, she said that such a channel was currently needed above all in Eastern Europe (there are large Polish communities in Ukraine and Belarus).
“There is a great demand for the Polish language in this area,” she said.
“This is a missionary cause, not a commercial one,” she added.
In both Belarus and Ukraine, Russian is an official language (alongside Belarusian and Ukrainian respectively) and the deputy minister has noted that Russian subtitles should be provided.
“It's important for us that this channel takes in the best selection of programmes from those produced by TVP, and this should include information about what is happening in Poland, as well as new series and movies,” she said.
TVP board-member Joanna Fabisiak, who is also an MP for Prime Minister Donald Tusk's Civic Platform party, has objected to the plans, however.
The MP said that although the foreign ministry co-funds the channel, it has “no right to interfere with the scheduling.”
Fabisiak has argued that rather than “a revolution”, changes could begin with “small reforms.”
In this regard, she has suggested that “money could be provided for a good children's programme, so that children from the Polish community abroad can learn the language in a modern way.” (nh/pg)
Source: PAP