PBS editorial board accuses directors of abuse of power

The Public Broadcasting Services' editorial board yesterday insisted it must be consulted before the board of directors makes a final decision over the winter programme schedule.

Editorial board chairman John Camilleri said decisions were being made unilaterally by the directors without any respect for regulations they had established. In the editorial board's opinion, this constituted an abuse of power and continued to confirm that the manner in which programmes were chosen for the winter schedule was not credible or transparent.

Mr Camilleri quoted the PBS Public Statement of Intent (PSI) - approved by the PBS board of directors and the relevant ministries - to back up his claims.

It states: "All proposals will be evaluated by the editorial board from the perspective of content. The evaluation will be presented to the board of directors which will, in conjunction with the editorial board, take the final decision about which programmes will form part of the schedule".

The editorial board last week rejected the finalised programme schedule and sent it back to the directors, claiming, among other things, that it was incomplete. Mr Camilleri had also said that programmes included on it had not even been submitted to the editorial board.

But the chairman of the board of directors, Joe Fenech Conti, insists that it is not up to the editorial board to accept or refuse the broadcasting schedule. He said the board of directors had ultimate responsibility for PBS and its business, of which the broadcasting schedule was central.