Government decides to relax law on media ownership concentration

The government has agreed to new amendments to the radio and television law which will allow Agora, the publisher of daily Gazeta Wyborcza, to buy out private television Polsat. The general director of Agora admits that the bill will allow his company to make such a purchase, but refused to reveal any future plans. According to the amendment, a television station cannot be bought by a daily newspaper publisher which controls more than 30% of the regional and national press market. According to the Press Distribution Association, Agora's share presently amounts to about 17%. "This is a hard compromise, so it is not easy to be happy with it. We have always been against limitations in media concentration. This change will allow some developments in the private media," said Piotr Niemczycki. The amendment was welcomed by the Centre for Monitoring Press Independence. "This is a clear change and a step in the right direction," said director of the Centre, Jerzy Kisielowski. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A4) M.M.