From Secret Service to Public Service

Supported by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Hungarian Broadcast Media (MTV), the CEU/CMCS, Antenna Hungária and the COST A30 Action "East of West: Setting a New Central and Eastern European Media Research Agenda".

The conference was a meeting of top European and Hungarian media policy makers and experts. The conference explored issues related to the independence of public service media, probing the question how national media legislation and European regulations can guarantee true political and financial independence for public broadcasters.

Participants of the conference also investigated future dilemmas of European public service media. How can public media be successful in the digital environment of the 21st century? How can taxpayers' support of public media be maintained? How can citizens access archival materials in the context of digital convergence? It was particularly important to raise these questions at a time when European policy makers were revising the Television Without Frontiers Directive.