Media Forum weighs scene
Transition painful, sez LfR's Schneider
The local industry is at a precarious point bridging old and new economies, said Norbert Schneider, head of North Rhein-Westphalia state government's media regulator (LfR).
"We are no longer entirely analog, but neither are we wholly digital," he said, adding that moving from local to global can be painful. "Although we can imagine what's on the other side, getting there may take longer than anticipated."
Taking a thinly hidden jab at the hyped broadband revolution and big cablers -- namely Liberty Media -- eager to introduce a slew of channels into a market that already has 100, Schneider asked, rhetorically, "Why should I spend money on something that I don't need in the first place?"
Miriam Meckel, NRW head of media affairs, said the transition is making her work more difficult.
"We are no longer regulating the use of media, but rather trying to control its misuse," she noted, adding that one of the biggest challenges will be regulating the cable gatekeepers who control who gains access.
The NRW government did have good news for the industry. It unveiled a new semiprivate outfit, NRW Media, that will bundle the state's various TV and film support schemes to help the industry better compete with domestic and international rivals.
