Democratizing the post -socialist media: A comparative study of television broadcasting policy in Bulgaria and Czech Republic, 1989--1999

In 1989 most Central and East European (CEE) states began a challenging transition from socialist regimes to market democracies. An important part of this process has been the reconstruction of the state-controlled media into independent and pluralistic systems, which can ensure the meaningful exercise of civic information rights, such as the right to obtain information, to form and express opinions freely, and refine them in public discussions. The dissertation examines the ways in which media policy has protected and/or distorted these information rights in the post-socialist period. Television is singled out from other types of media because it remains the most popular source of information for the public in CEE, while its reform has been prolonged and widely contested. Theoretically, the analysis has been informed by Habermas's historical account of the public sphere as a space for reasoned and critical debate among citizens. The concept is re-considered in view of the complex process of post-socialist transformation, which includes the democratization of the state, the transition to market economy, and the revival of civil society. The revised concept is used as a tool for comparing and evaluating broadcasting policies in two countries---Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia/the Czech Republic between 1989 and 1999. While emphasizing the progress made in restoring basic information rights of citizens in these two cases, the dissertation still confirms the continuous trend of political interference, particularly characteristic of Bulgaria. Furthermore, the study situates the policy analysis within the broader context of democratization and concludes that the post-socialist state and the emerging market have at once enhanced and distorted the creation of the public sphere in both countries. The examination of the media policy, advocated by international organizations like the European Union and local civil society activists, shows that they have mostly contributed to the democratization of broadcasting policy, particularly in Bulgaria. However, the study of the Czech broadcasting reforms, including the complex Nova TV case, suggests that in the long run the aggressive pursuit of liberalization, in the absence of strong public-service guarantees, is likely to distort the emerging public sphere and incite civic response.