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The money received from the subscription fees would make Latvian public media more independent from the state budget.

The EBU Director for Television Bjorn Erichsen explained today that monthly subscribers fee of approximately three euros (two lats) for radio and television services would allow to improve the LTV and LR situation.

Another option in consideration is merging the two public media. In Erichson's opinion, also this is a viable solution, which would allow creating a strong platform for a single state broadcasting organization.

The EBU Chief Financial Officer Julian Ekiert notified that EBU would return to Latvia in mid-May, with prepared propositions for short-term and long-term solutions for further development of public media in Latvia.

The EBU management, together with the Latvian National Broadcasting Council Chairman Abrams Kleckins, the LTV Deputy Director General Arnis Kupriss and the LR Director General Dzintris Kolats, had a meeting with the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis (New Era) earlier today.

"Meeting with the prime minister was very valuable, for almost one hour we discussed issues, concerning public media. Visit of the EBU chief executives in Latvia is remarkable because they have arrived to share with us other countries' experience, which will allow us to get out of these problems together," Kleckins said.

Kolats in his turn, commenting on the meeting, said that Latvia has already attempted three times to introduce subscription fees for public media. However, he believes, this does not imply that it should not be given another try.

According to Kolats, if the subscription fees are not introduced, politicians will be forced to find other solutions.

The LR director general pointed out that merger of the public media providers would not be as economically beneficial as some believe. "It is rather a matter of technologies and other issues; we are gradually using more multimedia, therefore at one point we could come to a situation, when the public media start competing with one another. Merger of the public media organizations is a logical solution and year 2011 is a realistic deadline for it," Kolats said.