Corporación RTVE's budget slashed

The recently elected Government of the PP in Spain is on the verge of announcing a reduction of the budget of state broadcaster RTVE by €200 million. The news was announced by Cristobal Montoro, Minister of Finance and Public Administration and the €200 million cut back will fall within the total €442 million that the ministry intends to cut. In total the Corporation’s 2012 budget is in the region of one billion Euros, around the same as 2009, and also includes a cut of €35 million related to the approximately €550 million contribution of the state to RTVE. In October 2010 when in opposition, the PP presented a package of amendments to the Draft Budget Act for 2011 that proposes to reduce the State contribution to RTVE for 2011 by 36.5% to €200 million , the. Its idea was that the contribution of public funds to the corporation was cut back drastically from €547.59 million to €347.59 million. In early December, the council unanimously approved that RTVE authorises indebtedness for a maximum period of three months, pending fees received from private operators for 2011. This debt was set at a maximum amount equal to one month of the grant from the state plus one month of the radio rate.