At the most recent session of the City Council, opposition councillor Cezariusz Rudyk asked the president questions about Azart-Sat television. He asked directly whether the president or his officials had banned the television station from showing opposition politicians. Rudyk referred to conversations with Azart-Sat employees who confirmed these allegations. He also pointed out that during the current term no opposition councillor had been invited onto the television station to respond, for example, to unfounded allegations disseminated by the municipal authorities.
– Bolesławiec residents have no chance whatsoever to hear the arguments of the opposing side. The fact is that for four years no opposition councillor has been able to respond to what residents are told on local television, particularly about opposition councillors – Rudyk said.
The president replied that he still watches opposition politicians on Azart-Sat. He does not influence in any way what is shown on the television station. These insinuations trouble him so much that he has taken steps for the city to dispose of all its 40% stake in Azart-Sat.
– In general, I am in favour of selling these shares. I have already ordered the preparation of the procedure – President Piotr Roman declared. – These shares are completely unnecessary. I just do not know whether anyone will want to buy them.
This promise can be treated as an electoral declaration. Unfortunately, we do not know whether selling the shares will change anything. There is no need to speak with anonymous television employees; it is enough to watch it to be certain that it serves only one purpose: the re-election of the current city president.
The fact that Piotr Roman watches the county head or county councillors belonging to Civic Platform on the news does not mean that local television is independent. Opposition politicians are shown on it incidentally, as illustrations, because they cannot be omitted when discussing city affairs. In reality, only one politician on local television explains things, addresses the public, speaks and gives exhaustive interviews about himself and his policies. That person is currently Piotr Roman. The president knows perfectly well what he uses local television for. In replying to Councillor Rudyk, he pointed out that the County Office, governed by Civic Platform, also buys programmes on Azart-Sat during election periods.
– Bolesławiec County signed an agreement to cooperate with the local television station – Roman said. – This shows that if this television station were so bad, they probably would not have signed such an agreement. It is true that they sign such an agreement once every four years, a few months before the elections, but let us not be malicious here. The point is to properly inform Bolesławiec residents.
Listening to this, one may get the impression that the president bought services from Azart-Sat for approximately PLN 10,000 a month for four years in order to appear on it every day, rather than only occasionally before elections.
Local television remains an unresolved problem, particularly pressing during election periods. Those solely responsible for this disorder are the city councillors. They should keep an eye on the president and regulate the law so that no president can turn local television into an election mouthpiece and a tool for re-election.
The councillors, meanwhile, are unaware of their power. They decide whether the city should have shares in the company at all. Ultimately, they can also influence programme topics. It has often turned out that councillors do not know this. We wrote about it, among other places, in the article “Councillors Are Powerless on the Matter of Local Television.” In that article, television president Alicja Burchardt even said openly that it is not the councillors but the president who is delegated to liaise with the television station and is responsible for it.
Local Television “Azart-Sat” is a limited liability company. It broadcasts over a network with slightly more than 6,000 outlets. The city owns 40 percent of the shares; the rest belongs to the owner of the cable network, who is also Alicja Burchardt’s father. Anyone who wants to watch Azart-Sat on a television set must pay two subscriptions: the first to the state, and the second specifically for cable television. Despite these fees, the City Office, on behalf of all residents, including those who do not have and cannot have cable television, pays the local television station a third time—for programmes, advertisements and announcements. Approximately PLN 100,000 a year. Piotr Roman is the one who actually benefits from this, and he does so under rules established by the City Council.
Judge for yourself who runs Azart-Sat
Below, we publish statements by President Piotr Roman and television president Alicja Burchardt-Kubów. Listen and judge who really runs the local television station. You can express your opinion in the poll below the video material.
Kto rządzi w Azart-Sat?
(editorial information ii)