Over 200 radio stations – almost 70% of those in Poland – have appealed to the government to abandon plans that would make them devote at least half of their airtime to content in the Polish language.
In their joint letter, they say that the quota would have “catastrophic consequences”. The broadcasters also argue that it would in fact disadvantage Poland’s domestic music industry rather than promote it, while benefiting foreign streaming services, reports Gazeta Wyborcza.
The measure is part of a broader legislative package that would introduce a tax on advertising. That prompted a separate protest last week during which most leading media outlets in Poland blacked out their coverage for a day, saying that the tax would harm media freedom and plurality.
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Under the proposal, radio broadcasters would be required to ensure that at least 49% of their content is in the Polish language, of which at least 60% would have to be aired between 5 a.m. and midnight.
Current rules require at least 33% of content to be in Polish. That is the highest such quota anywhere in Europe apart from France, where the figure is 40%, notes Press, a media trade magazine.
The National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT), a state regulator, found that in 2019 the average share of airtime for Polish songs across all radio stations was 40.4%. Public broadcaster Polish Radio had a figure of 44.3%, while leading private stations RMF FM and Radio ZET were both on 34.5%.
In the new letter, which is addressed to the culture ministry and prime minister, representatives of 202 radio stations – including the CEOs of Eurozet, Agora, Time, and RMF, the largest private radio groups in Poland – set out their objections to the plans.
They argue that the measures could lead to a drop in listener numbers, who would turn to streaming services instead. This would reduce broadcasters’ income from advertising, and could also put concerts and other music events at risk while reducing the state’s tax revenue.
“The mismatch between the music on the radio and the expectations of the audience will cause [listeners] to leave,” the letter reads. “This will entail a decline in advertisers’ interest in radio and a decline in advertising revenues.”
The vice president of the Agora Radio Group, Adam Fijałkowski, told Gazeta Wyborcza that demand for Polish-language songs was limited.
“The music played by stations is selected on the basis of research: we check the musical preferences of our listeners,” he explained. “Surveys show that Polish songs account for 10-20% of listeners’ favourites.”
Fijałkowski added that the new plans could particularly have consequences for stations playing modern music, and for younger listeners.
“Our [station] Radio Pogoda would not have a problem with restrictions, because…most of the listeners are people aged 60+,” said Fijałkowski. “It currently plays 70% Polish music, but only because this is the profile of the station.”
“Stations playing, for example, chillout or classic rock, like our Rock Radio, will be more difficult,” he continued. “I am a fan of classic rock and if I were to list ten classic songs, it would definitely not have five Polish ones.”
Soul singer Renata Lewandowska was a rising star in communist-era Poland, but fled to the US and abandoned her musical career.
Now, thanks to the work of a teenage fan who rediscovered her work and tracked her down, her first album has been released https://t.co/YRj7TNWfgp
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) February 8, 2021
Other organisations have also expressed concerns that the plans have been included as part of an unrelated bill, reports Wirtualne Media.
The Association of Private Media Employers and the Lewiatan Confederation, a business group, issued a statement on Wednesday saying that it was “unacceptable practice” to introduce the changes to broadcasting requirements as part of the new tax law.
“Defending against the domination of Anglo-Saxon pop culture”
However, others have argued that the bill could help support domestic musicians. Zygmunt “Muniek” Staszczyk, frontman of Polish rock band T.Love, said that the plans “make sense” and will help Poland “defend itself against the domination of Anglo-Saxon pop culture”, reports Gazeta Krakowska.
“Our entertainment industry is small and weak, so it is difficult for it to fight…against American or English [competitors],” he added. “It is as if Wisła Kraków [a local football team] were to play against Real Madrid or Legia Warsaw against FC Barcelona.”
In October, musician-turned-politician Paweł Kukiz appealed to the prime minister to ensure that more Polish music was played on public broadcasters in order to support artists struggling during the pandemic, reports Wirtualne Media.
It still remains uncertain, however, whether the government has the numbers in parliament to push through the legislative package that includes the new measures.
After last week’s mass protest by media outlets, one of the junior partners in Poland’s ruling coalition – the Agreement (Porozumienie) party – announced that it would not support the bill in its current form.
Main image credit: Itokyl/Wikimedia Commons (under CC BY-SA 4.0)
Juliette Bretan is a freelance journalist covering Polish and Eastern European current affairs and culture. Her work has featured on the BBC World Service, and in CityMetric, The Independent, Ozy, New Eastern Europe and Culture.pl.
