Democracy and the Media in Bulgaria: Who Represents the People?

Abstract

The media environment in post-communist Bulgaria has been profoundly affected by the processes of transition from a communist society to liberal democracy, market economy, and European Union (EU) membership. After the fall of the regime in late 1989, the state-owned media went through a swift transformation of ownership and organisation, initially in the print press and radio broadcasting, and at the end of the 1990s in terrestrial television broadcasting as well. The joint forces of democratisation and economic liberalisation strengthened media diversity and independence, and created conditions for the media’s independence from state interference and control.