Maltese in broadcasting

I would like to make the following clarification with regard to the comments made in the article "Reactions to code on use of Maltese" (June 25). In particular, Paul Azzopardi, manager news and current affairs at PBS Ltd, stated that the Broadcasting Authority did not ask for PBS Ltd's feedback before the legal notice on the proper use of the Maltese language was published.

The authority had first issued a consultative document to obtain comments from all members of the public, including broadcasters, and a public seminar for broadcasters was also held by the authority to discuss the draft document.

Subsequently, the authority's advisory committee on quality and ethics further discussed all the points raised during the seminar and finalised the text of a document for the authority's approval which was at a later stage adopted as the basis for a code.

This goes to show that the authority had purposely adopted a consultative procedure in the drawing up of the code to ensure that all difficulties which broadcasters aired during the consultation stage would be considered and addressed by the authority.

Not only so, but in order to ensure that broadcasters would have ample time to implement the measures for safeguarding the Maltese language on the broadcasting media, the code did not enter into effect on the date of its publication in the Government Gazette but will come into force on October 1, 2002 by which time, it is hoped, the necessary corrective measures would have been taken by all broadcasters to align themselves with the provisions of the code.

Furthermore, the authority is also doing its part in so far as the proper use of the Maltese language is concerned as the code lays down various responsibilities on the broadcasting regulator. The authority, with the continued support and eager dedication of the Akkademja tal-Malti, is organising three courses for broadcasters on the proper use of the Maltese language.

A total of 30 participants from diverse broadcasting stations are participating. Moreover, the Akkademja tal-Malti has already drawn up guidelines for broadcasters on the proper use of the Maltese language and the authority is also inserting a condition in all broadcasting licences it issues to the effect that the licensee has to:

Use the Maltese language in a proper way; follow all rules and directives issued by the Akkademja tal-Malti in so far as the Maltese language is concerned; appoint a qualified consultant in the Maltese language who is informed in broadcasting who has to be approved by the authority after consultation with the Akkademja; and broadcast at least one programme in each schedule of programmes to advance in a proactive manner the Maltese language.

Finally, may I draw attention to two further initiatives taken by the authority in this regard, namely that of paying the costs for all national broadcasting stations to have the services free of charge of a consultant on the Maltese language approved by the Akkademja and, in the very near future, the installation of Maltese fonts and Maltese spellchecker on the character generator of local televisions.