Wilnoteka still on TV Polonia!

The joint effort to preserve the only TV programme broadcast from Vilnius as well as the Internet petition conducted by the viewers has been successful: Wilnoteka remains on TVP Polonia!

Beginning with today (Wednesday April 17) the programme was supposed to be suspended for an indefinite period, but with the agreement reached by the TVP authorities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wilnoteka will continue to broadcast every week at least until the end of the first half of the year, and as the TVP management assures — also in the second half. Among others, to the agreement, which restores the production capacity, led the intervention of viewers from all around the world.

Let us recall that the decision made by the board of TVP to suspend most of the programs produced by TVP Polonia, was made after the Polish Foreign Ministry decided to reduce financial support. For many years, the Ministry supported the television for Polish people abroad with the amount of 11 million dollars per year. So it was going to be this year, but in December the Foreign Ministry informed TVP that funding would be reduced to … 2 million zlotys. Attempts to negotiate with the ministry had been made for several months, while TV Polonia still limited its output, until it was decided to suspend almost all programs.

This caused a big stir, both in Poland and in Polish communities around the world, as the next to the Wilnoteka there was also a program of the famous Polish linguist, Jan Miodek, planned to be discontinued.  The viewers organized Internet events in defense of these programs, the government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs TVP was overwhelmed by petitions, several thousand signatures were collected with the requests to restore the popular programs, which begot the intended results: Foreign Ministry agreed to increase the funding for an additional 6 million zlotys. The TVP authorities have agreed to accept these 8 million and to return most of the suspended items. The financial situation of the Polish Television is not very well – last year, TVP’s budget ended with a loss of 218 million zlotys!

With the rapid decisions made by the management, TVP Polonia managed to avoid even a break in the broadcast – so the audience can watch the latest issue of Wilnoteka today as scheduled, which, among others, reports on the election of the most beautiful (and most talented!) Polish girl from Lithuania. , or ‘the girl of Kurier Wileński’, but also on the Vilnius young artistic avant-garde and the successful start made by the footballers of KS Polonia Vilnius in the Lithuania’s first league. Please note that the program is aired on Wednesdays at 8.00 am and 7.55 pm (Vilnius time) and on Thursday at 6.45.

Source: http://kurierwilenski.lt/2013/04/17/wilnoteka-nie-zniknie-z-tvp-polonia/

Tłumaczenie Emil Iracki w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Emil Iracki within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.