Oh Se-hoon TBS budget cut by 12.2 billion “Not to make broadcasts”

It has been confirmed that Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has organized the TBS Media Foundation budget contribution to 25.274 billion won, a larger cut of 12.2 billion won than originally announced. This is a 32.6% budget cut in just one year.

A member of the Seoul Metropolitan Government analyzed that TV radio production costs were actually cut by 97%, arguing that “Isn’t it a clear violation of the Broadcasting Act?”

In the data released on the 29th, Seoul Metropolitan Assemblyman Gyeong Man-seon (Gangseo-gu 3rd constituency) said that the Seoul Metropolitan Government reduced the contribution of the Media Foundation TBS, which is 32.6% compared to 2021, by about 12.2 billion won, which is half of the annual budget, 25.274 billion won. said to have been set as Regarding this, the Seoul Metropolitan Government admitted that it was all true, saying that it was reported to the parliament the day before.

City Councilor Kyung-Wook Oh Se-hoon said in a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee on the 20th, “The reason for the top TBS listening rate is not because it deals in depth with current affairs, but because of the stimulus” and “We will come up with a way sooner or later from the standpoint of Seoul.” said to have been done. Councilor Kyung said, “The problem is that the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Planning and Coordination Office closely communicated with the Media Foundation TBS from July and the contribution was scheduled to reach 33 billion won until October 8. I told him that I would do it,” he explained.

According to the city council member Gyeong, the Seoul Metropolitan Government set the media foundation TBS’s contribution for 2022 at 37.944 billion won at the time of the establishment of the ‘mid-term local financial plan’ as of November 2021. At the time of the screening, the contribution was reported as 38.9 billion won. Mayor Oh said in a question about the city council on July 1, “I have a lot of authority over TBS, such as budgeting, management evaluation, and auditing, but I have never expressed interest in it or reviewed it.”

Then, after the state audit, the city council decided to cut the contribution by more than 30% without any detailed discussion on the reduction. The city councilor said that if the contribution for next year set by the Seoul Metropolitan Government is less than 31.2 billion won in administrative and operating expenses of the Media Foundation TBS in 2022, including labor and operating expenses, and 6 billion won in fixed costs such as transmission station and broadcasting equipment maintenance, the financial problem is even more serious. compared to Above all, city councilor Kyung said, “Considering the total budget of TBS, TV and radio production costs have been cut by 97% compared to this year.”

Regarding this, city council member Gyeong said, “Reducing production costs by broadcasting companies is a repression to sit still. He said, “When Mayor Oh Se-hoon was working as a full-time mayor, he set the transportation broadcasting company as the responsible operating agency, paving the way for independent operation, and now he is trying to tame citizens’ broadcasts without committing any illegal acts by changing the word that it doesn’t suit his taste.” “They will have to take responsibility for making a budget bill that has turned into a political act,” he warned. City Council member Kyung also said, “It is a violation of the Broadcasting Act because it is taming Seoul’s political media foundation TBS.”

Regarding this, the city of Seoul refuted some of the items of the next year’s budget, even though the contents of the city councilor’s data were true. Kim Jong-su, the city’s citizen communication officer, said in a phone call with Media Today on the evening of the 29th, “The report of 38.9 billion won in the TBS contribution in September was just a proposal to get approval for the contribution, not the city’s budget.” There was, and it was not a time when we were in the stage of detailed organization.” Even with the mid-term local financial plan worth 37.9 billion won, Kim said, “The mid-term local financial plan is not binding, it was written over time, and it was a provisional use of what TBS submitted, it does not mean that we promised to do so.”

After the National Inspection, when the city councilman claimed that the Seoul Metropolitan Government keynote office and TBS had discussions to reduce the contribution to the level of 33 billion won, Kim said, “It is a fact that we, the department in charge, did not know that we talked about it in the keynote room.” said

Regarding the analysis that TV-radio production costs were reduced by 97% compared to this year, Kim Jong-su, in charge, said, “Giving contributions is not a detailed set of spending on labor costs, operating expenses, production costs, etc.” Arrangement,” he replied. “I cannot agree with the comparison with numbers (changes in the amount of each item),” said Kim in charge.

He said, “Even the city councilor talked about improving TBS’s financial independence, improving its profitable business, advertising efforts, and broadcasting development funds. There seems to be a lack of effort.” “How long are you going to ask for a fixed contribution?” said Kim in charge.

Kim Jong-soo, the communications officer, said the goal is to submit the budget with this reduced size and pass it as it is, “It cannot be said to be final, but if there are no major variables, it will be submitted to the Seoul City Council as it is on the 1st.” He replied, “I will explain this budget to the Parliament, and there will be a discussion there.

However, it is pointed out that it is difficult to see a reasonable budget arrangement to cut 12.2 billion won in fixed contribution support alone while prohibiting radio commercial advertisements. It became difficult to avoid criticism for taming broadcasting with a budget.