Abstract
After the fall of communism in 1989, Bulgaria introduced political pluralism and set up new democratic institutions. These structural transformations had a profound impact on the media situation in the country (Tabakova 2010). A phase of market liberalization was followed by an expansion of private ownership in electronic media which gave ground for the starting up of private print media offerings. Naturally, as this environment intensified competition for audiences, the problem of organizing viable business models for financing media became one of the leading issues of concern for both policymakers and publishers alike.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Amending law to the Law on mandatory deposit of printed and other works (2010).
- 2.
The following part of the chapter is partly based on laws and regulations adopted by the Parliament and other state institutions and made public in the State Gazette: ДВ, бр. 56/1991 г.; ДВ бр. 55/2000, посл.изм. бр.39/2011 г.; ДВ бр.1/2002, посл.изм. бр.105/2011; ДВ бр. 41/2007, посл.изм. бр. 44/2012 г.; ДВ бр. 56/1993, посл.изм. бр. 25/2011г.; ДВ бр. 27/1993, посл.изм. бр. 38/2012 г.; ДВ бр. 81/1999, посл.изм. бр. 54/2011 г.; ДВ. бр.138/ 1998, посл.изм. бр. 38/2012 г.; ДВ бр.99/2011 г.; ДВ бр.108/2000 , посл.изм. бр. 101/2010 г.
- 3.
Casado Coca v. Spain, (15,450/89) [1994] ECHR 8 (24 February 1994); Bartold v. Germany (8,734/79) [1985] ECHR 3 (25 March 1985).
References
Antonova, V. (2011, October 14). Предателството на медиите [The media betrayal]. Capital Weekly. Accessed September 15, 2012, from http://www.capital.bg/biznes/media_i_reklama/2011/10/14/1177283_predatelstvoto_na_mediite/
Antonova, V. (2012a, May 23). PRавилата преди всичко [PRules before everything]. Capital Weekly. Accessed September 15, 2012, from http://www.capital.bg/biznes/media_i_reklama/2012/05/23/1833370_pravilata_predi_vsichko/
Antonova, V. (2012b, September 14). Трудна прозрачност [Difficult transparency]. Capital Weekly. Accessed September 15, 2012, from http://www.capital.bg/biznes/media_i_reklama/2012/09/14/1906325_trudna_prozrachnost/
Association of European Journalists (AEJ). (2012a, September 19). AEJ-Bulgaria meets commissioner Neelie Kroes. Association of European Journalists. Accessed September 15, 2012, from http://www.aej-bulgaria.org/en/2012/09/aej-bulgaria-meets-commissioner-neelie-kroes/
Association of European Journalists (AEJ) – Bulgaria. (2012b, September 4). Отворено писмо от български журналисти [Open letter by Bulgarian journalists]. Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria. Accessed September 15, 2012, from www.aej-bulgaria.org/2012/09/an-open-letter/
BGNES. (2013). Посланик Хьопфнер: Независимите медии са гарант за демокрация [Ambassador Höpfner: The independent media are a guarantor for democracy]. Accessed January 25, 2013, from http://news.bgnes.com/view/1059357
Bolzen, S. (2012, June 19). Wie Bulgariens Medien mit der Regierung klüngeln [How Bulgaria’s media cliques with the government]. Die Welt. Accessed December 15, 2012, from http://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article106632766/Wie-Bulgariens-Medien-mit-der-Regierung-kluengeln.html
Capital (2012, September 21). Измамният уют на европейските пари [The deceptive comfort of European money]. Capital. Accessed September 21, 2012, from http://www.capital.bg/politika_i_ikonomika/bulgaria/2012/09/21/1911274_izmamniiat_ujut_na_evropeiskite_pari/
Christova, C., & Förger, D. (2008). Zur Situation der Medien in Bulgarien [Concerning the situation of the media in Bulgaria]. Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. KAS-AI, 3(08), 6–25.
Daskalova, N. (2010). The Bulgarian media system after 1989: Restructuring in three directions. EastBound, 2010(2), 2–16.
Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). (2011). Democracy index 2011. Democracy under stress. The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2011. Accessed January 25, 2014, from https://www.eiu.com/public/topical_report.aspx?campaignid=DemocracyIndex2011
Freedom House. (2011). Bulgaria. Freedom of the Press 2011. Freedom House. Accessed September 15, 2012, from http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2011/bulgaria
Freedom House. (2012). Freedom of the Press 2012. Freedom House. Accessed December 15, 2012, from http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/freedom-press-2012
Hallin, D., & Mancini, P. (2004). Comparing media systems: Three models of media and politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
IAB Bulgaria. (2012). Mediascope Europe 2012. IAB Bulgaria. Accessed September 15, 2012, from http://iabulgaria.bg/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Mediascope-Booklet.pdf
International Press Institute. (2012). SEEMO calls on Bulgarian authorities to reopen investigation into attacks on journalist. Accessed April 3, 2013, from http://www.freemedia.at/home/singleview/article/seemo-calls-on-bulgarian-authorities-to-reopen-investigation-into-attacks-on-prominent-journalist.html
Jakubowicz, K. (2007). The Eastern European/Postcommunist media model countries. In G. Terzis (Ed.), European media governance: National and regional dimensions. Bristol: Intellect Books.
Koleva, J. (2012, September 20). Комисар Крус: Липсата на прозрачност е проблем за медиите, премиерът потвърди [Commissioner Croos: The lack of transparency is a problem for the media]. Dnevnik. Accessed September 21, 2012, from http://www.dnevnik.bg/bulgaria/2012/09/20/1910522_komisar_krus_lipsata_na_prozrachnost_e_problem_za/
Lazar, P. B. (2011). Parties, organised interest groups and the media. Fieldwork report 2011 for the ERC-funded project on Media and Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. Department of Politics and International relations of the University of Oxford, Department of Media and Communications, The London School of Economics and Political Science. Accessed January 25, 2013, from http://mde.politics.ox.ac.uk/index.php/country-reports
Lozanov, G. (2012, July 28). Медийният вкус на парите [The media taste of money]. Mediapool. Accessed September 15, 2012, from http://bit.ly/P8Kew5
Marchev, G. (2013, January 13). Като за последно правителството ще раздаде двойно повече евросредства на медии през 2013 г [The government will double European investments in media in 2013]. Dnevnik. Accessed January 16, 2013, from http://www.dnevnik.bg/bulgaria/2013/01/14/1983950_kato_za_posledno_pravitelstvoto_shte_razdade_dvoino/
MBMD (2012). Ситуацията на медийния пазар в началото на 2012 [The situation on the media market in the beginning of 2012]. MBDM, 2012. Accessed December 15, 2012, from http://issm-bg.com/AnonymousNewsPage#news7
Ministry of Culture. (2013). Документи по Закона за задължителното депозиране на печатни и други произведения /ЗЗДПДП/ [Documents of the law on mandatory deposit of printed and other work]. Accessed January 25, 2013, from http://mc.government.bg/page.php?p=58&s=429&sp=67&t=63&z=436
National Statistical Institute. (2012). Publishing production (continued editions in 2011 and books and pamphlets production for the peroid October 2010 – December 2011). National Statistical Institute. Accessed September 15, 2012, from http://www.nsi.bg/EPDOCS/Publishing2011_en.pdf
Novinite. (2010a, June 29). Bulgaria’s watchdog slaps dumping fine on Murky media Tycoon. Novinite. Accessed December 15, 2012, from http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=117614
Novinite. (2010b, October 21). Bulgarian MPs pass new print media rules. Novinite. Accessed December 15, 2012, from http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=121355
Ognyanova, N. (2010, July 14). Има ли шанс за прозрачността на медийната собственост? [Is there a chance for transparency of media ownership?]. Dnevnik. Accessed September 15, 2012, from http://www.dnevnik.bg/analizi/2010/07/14/932764_ima_li_shans_za_prozrachnostta_na_mediinata_sobstvenost/
Ognyanova, N. (2011). Медийна политика и право на Европейския съюз [Media policy and law of the European Union]. Изд. Софийски университет, София, Sofia: Sofia University Publishing.
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). (2012). Bulgaria’s October elections characterized by respect for rights and freedoms, but allegations of vote-buying underscore need for reform. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Accessed September 15, 2012, from http://www.osce.org/odihr/86891
Örnebring, H. (2011). Elites, democracy and the media in Central and Eastern Europe. Fieldwork report 2011 for the ERC-funded project on media and democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. Department of Politics and International Relations of the University of Oxford, and Department of Media and Communications, London: The London School of Economics and Political Science.
Papakochev, G. (2012, November 11). Има ли надежда за българските медии? [Is there hope for Bulgarian media?]. Deutsche Welle. Accessed November 24, 2012, from http://bit.ly/V3N4co
Popova, V. (2004). Bulgaria chapter. In SEENPM (2004). Media ownership and its impact on media independence and pluralism (pp. 93–117). Ljubljana, Slovenia: SEENPM Peace Institute. Accessed January 25, 2013, from http://www2.mirovni-institut.si/media_ownership/bulgaria.htm
Reporters Without Borders. (2012). Press freedom index 2011–2012. Reporters Without Borders. Accessed December 15, 2012, from http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2011-2012,1043.html
Smilova, R., Smilov, D., & Ganev, G. (2011, December). Does media policy promote media freedom and independence? The case of Bulgaria. Mediadem. Accessed January 25, 2013, from http://www.mediadem.eliamep.gr/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Bulgaria.pdf
Stetka, V. (2011a). Bulgaria. A country report for the ERC-funded project on Media and Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. Department of Politics and International Relations of the University of Oxford, Department of Media and Communications, The London School of Economics and Political Science. Accessed January 25, 2013, from http://mde.politics.ox.ac.uk/index.php/country-reports
Stetka, V. (2011b). State, market and the media: Qualities of public administration and market regulation in Central and Eastern Europe. Fieldwork Report 2011 for the ERC-funded project on media and democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. Department of Politics and International Relations of the University of Oxford, Department of Media and Communications, The London School of Economics and Political Science. Accessed January 25, 2013, from http://mde.politics.ox.ac.uk/index.php/country-reports
Tabakova, V. (2007). The Bulgarian media landscape. In G. Terzis (Ed.), European media governance: National and regional dimensions. Bristol: Intellect Books.
Tabakova, V. (2010). Media landscape: Bulgaria. The Netherlands: European Journalism Centre. Accessed September 15, 2012, from http://www.ejc.net/media_landscape/article/bulgaria/.
Trud. (2012a, February 2). Брюксел разследва България заради Корпоративна търговска банка [Brussels is investigating Bulgaria because of the Corporate Commercial Bank]. Trud Newspaper. Accessed September 15, 2012, from http://www.agencia-sliven.com/index.php?id=61204
Trud. (2012b, June 8). Съюзът на издателите подаде жалба в Брюксел за незаконна държавна помощ за КТБ [The Union of publishers filed a complaint in Brussels for illegal government support for the Corporate Commercial Bank]. Trud Newspaper. Accessed September 15, 2012, from http://www.trud.bg/Article.asp?ArticleId=1412812
Vassiliou, A. (2012, May 25). Androulla Vassiliou member of the European Commission responsible for education, culture, multilingualism and youth keynote speech general assembly of ENPA (The European Newspapers Publishers’ Association) Nicosia (Cyprus). European Commission. Accessed September 15, 2012, from http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/12/388&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN
Vladimirova, P. (2012, June 12). На Любомир Павлов и Огнян Донев са повдигнати обвинения за пране на пари [Lybomir Pavlov and Ognyan Donev charged with money laundering]. Dnevnik. Accessed September 15, 2012, from http://www.dnevnik.bg/bulgaria/2012/06/12/1844455_na_ljubomir_pavlov_i_ognian_donev_sa_povdignati/
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kantchev, G., Ognyanova, N. (2013). Bulgaria: Press Subsidies in the Shadows. In: Murschetz, P. (eds) State Aid for Newspapers. Media Business and Innovation. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35691-9_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35691-9_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-35690-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35691-9
eBook Packages: Business and EconomicsBusiness and Management (R0)