BBC World Service closes Romanian service
After 69 years of Romanian radio, BBC decides to withdraw from Romania. Official reasons are the loss in general radio audience and BBC market share (less than 3%). There is no mention of how the Bucharest office became the playground of the Romanian government, and how inconvenient journalists were dismissed at the request of Romanian authorities. (Citing US State Dept: In November [2003], the Romanian service of the BBC did not renew the contract of a long-serving reporter, Traian Ungureanu. Ungureanu was respected for his political analyses and known for frequent criticisms of PSD policies. Press colleagues believed Ungureanu’s removal was linked to these criticisms; the BBC responded by saying that Ungureanu, a 14-year veteran, had failed a routine voice test. Several reporters and an editor at the BBC resigned to protest the dismissal. This happened in the same era when Tony Blair pressured the Romanian PM to sell a huge state-owned steel mill to Mittal.)
All other 31 localized, foreign-language services, will be maintained until these pesky Iranians will learn what democracy is.
July 22nd, 2008 at 15:35
Yeah, well, Traian Ungureanu nu cred ca e cel mai bun exemplu de dat. Pentru ca nu este deloc nepartinitor si nu vorbesc neaparat de articolele sale din Cotidianul. Mi-a fost dat sa citesc o prostie de articol in ID, semnata de el, cu o coloana vertebrala prea departe de verticala pentru a nu deveni deranjant.
Una este sa critici the obvious, adica Nastase et comp. si alta este sa te apuci sa chibitezi politica americana intr-un mod neocon cu prea mult sirop de baclava.