BNT Director General responds to questions from caretaker Minister of Culture

BNT Director General Emil Koshlukov on June 2 officially submitted his answers to caretaker Minister of Culture Velislav Minekov at the Ministry of Culture.

Last week, the caretaker minister sent a letter to BNT and the Council for Electronic Media (CEM,) asking for an explanation as to why the show "The Day Begins with Georgi Lyubenov" switched to a live coverage of a press conference of GERB party in relation to the wiretapping scandal.

Here is the official answer of the Director General of the public service broadcaster, BNT:

DEAR MR. MINEKOV,

In response to your interest in the work of BNT, I send the following information. The answers are arranged according to your numbering of the questions.

1. The programme of BNT was not interrupted.

2. Undoubtedly BNT complies with the Radio and Television Act (RTA). In their work, our current affairs programmes are guided by the principles of providing timely, reliable, meaningful and reflective information, giving different points of view.

3. I remind you that the BNT programme has not been interrupted. Decisions to cover political events are made by the respective editorial teams. According to the RTA, neither the Management Board of BNT nor anyone else, including the Minister of Culture, has the right to interfere in their work.

4. I remind you again that the BNT programme has not been interrupted.

5. The right of address you are referring to is explicitly defined in the RTA. BNT did not grant this right to a political party.

6. I remind you again that the decisions of the editorial teams are independent and neither the Management Board of BNT nor the Minister of Culture have the right to interfere in them.