05-10-2009

Financial trouble at LRT

By Auksė Kancerevičiūtė
    Public broadcaster Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT, www.lrt.lt ) has accumulated some 3 million Litas (860,000 Euros) in debts for broadcasting services, reflecting the financial problems in the media sector.
    According to Audrius Siaurusevičius, General Director of LRT, emerging debts are attributed to a decline in commercial income.

    LRT, which operates two national television and three radio channels, receives about 75% of its funding from the Lithuanian government.

    Funding from the Lithuanian Finance Ministry decreased from 40 million Litas to 30 million Litas from the state budget.

    Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius claims that the LRT directors should not try to transfer their responsibility and problems related to the institution's debts onto politicians or the shoulders of taxpayers.

    Although predominantly government financed, LRT does sell advertising. Advertising accounted for the largest portion of income, at about 7.7 million Euros in 2008.

    Published in Lithuania
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