"I want to warn you that we are going to reform all the structures that enjoy the budget funding. There are many such structures in the country, including the Belteleradiocompany. 25-30% of reduction and an increase of efficiency - this is my urgent request," Alyaksandr Lukashenka said on November 27 at a meeting with Hendadz Davydzka, chairman of the National State Television and Radio Company (NSTRC) [Belteleradiocompany], which runs the channels Belarus One and Belarus Two.
Mr. Lukashenka noted that the reform affected many areas, all the structures, that of material production and ideological sphere. According to him, the Belteleradiocompany is also an enterprise that gets some part of budget funds and another part it earns by its own.
"Therefore, the modernization and reforming apply to your enterprise, too. In this sense, I would like to hear from you: what is the popularity of you channel, and in comparison with other channels, too? What kind of measurements are taken? To what extent are they unbiased?" Mr. Lukashenka asked the questions perturbing him.
The head of state was interested in financial and economic indicators of the NSTRC's work.
"There were many claims to the work of the Belteleradiocompany. To what extent the work is stabilized here? Both you and other channels that enjoy budget support must clearly understand that this budget funding will be significantly reduced next year. And not because there is no money in the budget. You are an enterprise, you must work independently, earn money, people must feel that," the presidential press office quoted Mr. Lukashenka as saying.
"Therefore, you should know that in the next year we will gradually remove this support away from you, so that you earn money by your own. And in order to do this, you should have good television products. There must be a novelty, it is necessary to interest audiences and so on," he said.
Mr. Lukashenka stressed that the main thing is the quality of products made.
"And in no way you must never forget about financial conditions, about money, because it affects everyone. The government cannot support everyone, and it should not do it. If we divide the budget in pieces and dispense, we will always have problems. It must not be like this. The budget should be focused on the breakthrough state directions. And enterprises should earn on their own," he said, adding that the government will pay enterprise for something that government is interested in and cannot do without," he noted.
According to Mr. Lukashenka, he requests Belarusian media to give information unbiased, in a fair way hiding no facts, "to plunge sharper into the reality" and not to miss wasteful aspects in the activity of officials of any rank.
