Six days before Communications Minister Shlomo Karai presents the reform in the industry, its full details are being published here for the first time, centered on a massive cut in the news division of the Public Broadcasting Corporation.
The program is published in the shadow of a widespread public protest surrounding Karai's desire to close the broadcasting corporation.
This is a comprehensive reform that the ministry was instructed to prepare close to the date of Karai's entry into office.
The program may still undergo slight changes until Tuesday of next week, the date when Karai will present the program at a press conference.
Demonstrators against the closure of the corporation, photo: Gideon Markovich
Currently, according to the reform, the public broadcasting corporation "Kan" will not be closed, but its budget will be reduced dramatically.
Many departments in it will be closed, while the news division, which includes the current affairs broadcasts of Channel 11 and the radio station Network B, will suffer a very significant cut in the budget.
Another part of the corporation's radio stations will be privatized and transferred to private hands.
It also appears that the regulation on the commercial channels - Keshet 12, Network 13 and now 14, will be reduced and these companies will be released from a significant part of their obligations.
Another move being considered: the deregulation of the news companies on channels 12 and 13, which would strengthen the control of the channel owners over the news content as well.
Dramatic reform.
Netanyahu, photo: Yonatan Zindel/Flash90
Not only the powers of the Second Authority will be reduced, but also the Cable and Satellite Council responsible for "Hot" and "Yes" broadcasts.
In this framework, these companies will be allowed to broadcast advertisements for the first time during their broadcasts.
According to the plan, this move may lower the monthly subscription prices for these companies.
The possibility of changing the rating method of watching television, which is considered outdated, to a more advanced and accurate method is also being considered.
Further to the reform - Netflix and Disney Plus operating in Israel will be required to invest in original Israeli productions in order to encourage local creativity.
A revenue threshold will be set for other broadcasting companies such as Cellcom TV, Partner TV and the like, which if passed - these companies will also be forced to introduce Israeli original broadcasts.
Karai Reform, photo: None
The plans that have been shelved
Despite the criticism that the closure of the corporation or a cut in its budget will harm the local creation, at this stage there is no intention to transfer the budget of the local creation to the other broadcasting networks.
Also, Karai considered canceling the obligation to publish in the written press, but at this stage there is no intention to introduce this as part of the reform.
The move, if implemented, would hurt the newspapers' income because they would lose planning and construction awareness, advertising government tenders, and more.
The thought underlying the reform in the media is mainly diversity in the content and content of the news, the lowering of regulation as part of a liberal economic worldview, to promote the Israeli broadcast media which currently suffers from inferior technology compared to the Western countries, and this is due to the excess of regulation, as well as lowering the prices for the consumption of cable and satellite television.
The corporation will not close.
Meanwhile.
Karai, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Although the program is expected to receive criticism from powerful elements in the media industry, it is one of the flagship programs of the right-wing government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, along with the legal reform and the settlement reform.
It is estimated that despite the protests that are being heard these days against the plan, as far as legislation is required, Karai and the coalition will stand firm in order to approve it and implement the right-wing policy.
"emergency hour"
Just last Sunday, many journalists from all media outlets in Israel showed up at the emergency conference held at the Brodt Center in Tel Aviv, and protested against the government's intention to close the broadcasting corporation.
"Whether you are leftist or rightist, Netanyahu's supporters or his opponents, this is an emergency for the free media in Israel," said News 12 CEO Avi Weiss.
CEO of the corporation Golan Yochpaz, photo: Gideon Markovich
Another supporter of the public corporation was Ilana Dayan, who stated: "There are things that can be debated, such as the overcoming clause, and there are things beyond any debate. To privatize public broadcasting is to kill public broadcasting, today we are all here."
Former member of the Knesset and current employee of the corporation Yigal Guetta added: "Minister Karai - if you try to silence us - we will come through the window. If you close the window - we will break the ceiling."
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