MLP unhappy with amount of air time

The MLP is still unhappy with the amount of air time it has been allotted to broadcast free anti-EU membership adverts on Public Broadcasting Services, as well as with the time slots in which these adverts are being broadcast.

The MLP yesterday released two letters sent to the Broadcasting Authority by general secretary Jimmy Magro, in which he states that the Nationalist Party and Alternattiva Demokratika have no constitutional right to ask for free air time to broadcast pro-EU messages.

"Neither of these parties asked to be given air time because they were happy with the spots produced by Malta-EU Information Centre, as these mirrored both the PN's and AD's positions. Neither of them is paying a cent for the MIC to play the tunes which are their own," the MLP said.

"On the contrary, there exists an imbalance against the MLP as it has been given a third of the air time MIC has and the party is bound by very stringent conditions," the MLP complained.

One of these conditions, imposed by the Broadcasting Authority, states that there has to be 15 minutes between spots aired by MIC and those of the MLP.

The MLP said this was unjust as its own spots were taking second place to those of MIC.

"Irrespective of whether MIC's spots are factual or not, the Civil Court ruled that these represent the present government's policies, which is identical to that of the PN and AD.

"If the PN and AD are given air time, this would continue to tip the balance against the MLP," the MLP said.