By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
Non-commercial broadcasters would be required to limit their dependence on TV commercials as a source of income under a bill submitted to the National Assembly by the governing Grand National Party (GNP).
The proposal and six other bills designed to improve the competitiveness of the media industry also call for easing regulations that prohibit large businesses from holding shares in broadcasters.
Under the proposal, print media would be also allowed to own TV networks.
Rep. Choung Byoung-gug, an architect of the bills, said non-commercial broadcasters such as KBS and MBC will be required to reduce television commercials so that profits from TV ads account for less than 20 percent of their total revenue.
Choung said in an interview that the primary income source of KBS and MBC should be fees collected from viewers, not revenue from TV commercials.
``KBS and MBC are non-commercial broadcasters, but they are allowed to run TV ads under current law. This caused them to air many commercial-oriented programs, lacking the public nature and independence of non-commercial broadcasters,'' he claimed.
Choung made the remarks a day after he submitted to the Assembly a set of measures to revise regulations on broadcasting and print media.
If the bills are passed, large businesses and print media will be allowed to buy up to a 20 percent share in TV stations.
Big businesses and newspaper companies will also be allowed to purchase up to 49 percent of the shares of cable networks under the proposed bills.
The largest opposition Democratic Party (DP) decried the plan, claiming that it would only benefit a few conservative newspapers and conglomerates that support the government.
``The plan demonstrates that the ruling party, along with the government, intends to influence broadcasters,'' said Rep. Cho Jeong-sik.
Cho said his party would work with the public to frustrate the plan to ``control the media industry.''
Civic group Media Action insisted that the proposed bills aim at weakening the media, which is critical of the government.
GNP lawmaker Choung dismissed Cho's claim, arguing that it was easier for the government to control broadcasters under the current law.
``For this reason, the allegation that the GNP intends to put broadcasters under government control doesn't make sense,'' he said.