Two Kosovan public service channels – RTK1, which broadcast programming in Albanian and RTK2, broacasting in the Serbian language, have become available to all citizens of the north of Kosovo this year who use the services of the company MTS doo.
The broadcast of the RTK2 program, as part of the Kosovan public service broadcast, began with the Central Information Show, which aired at 7:00 p.m. on June 4th, 2013.
For almost nine years, these TV channels were unavailable to citizens in the north of Kosovo. In the first years following the signing of the Brussels Agreement, several attempts were made to make the channels visible in the north. All of them, however, were unsuccesful.
As the Kosovo Public Service confirmed for KoSSev, RTK2 and RTK1 became available to the citizens of the north of Kosovo in April this year.
„I can confirm that the channels of the Kosovo Public Service – RTK1 and RTK2 are visible in the north of Kosovo, that is, they are part of the offer provided by the local cable television distributor. For RTK2, which broadcasts in the Serbian language, this is very significant because, after nine years, we now have the opportunity to offer the programmes we produce to all those for whom it is intended,“ Shkumbin Ahmetxhekaj, who became the General Director of RTK in June of this year, said in a statement for KoSSev.
Ahmetxhekaj indicated that by providing the opportunity to watch Radio Television of Kosovo channels in the north, the Regulation on the distribution of audio and audiovisual media service providers of the Independent Media Commission was also honored.
On the other hand, he claims that according to one of the articles of the aforementioned regulation, the two channels of the Public Service of Kosovo (RTK1 and RTK2) should be listed right after the information channel of the provider.
„Why this was not the case until this year, you should be asking someone else,“ Ahmetxhekaj told KoSSev.
RKT1 and RTK2 are listed on the 96th and 97th places in the channel list
He specified that the management of RTK asked the responsible officials this year to fulfill their obligations so that RTK1 and RTK2 become available in the north of Kosovo.
„We are grateful to the responsible authorities for the steps taken. Increasing visibility is more of an obligation for RTK2 to continue with the mission we have – to inform, educate and entertain,“ said the director of this television.
Dejan Ognjanovic, director of MTS doo, confirmed that the regulations of the Independent Media Commission of Kosovo were respected.
„As per the Brussels Agreement and the Law on the Independent Media Commission, there is a list of mandatory TV channels that includes RTK, so we also broadcast those TV channels in our program. They are part of the list of TV channels of the IPTV platform, right after the mts Info channel,“ he said in a statement for KoSSev.
He also alleged that the broadcast of those channels within the IPTV distribution platform began much earlier than specified by RTK.
Ognjanovic, however, underlined that no official cooperation has been established between MTS doo and the Kosovo Public Service, noting that the company only respects its obligations on the market it operates.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
