Broadcast media regulator elects Milotinova as new head of Bulgarian National Television
In a vote on February 20, statutory broadcast media regulator the Council for Electronic Media (CEM) elected veteran journalist Milena Milotinova as the director-general of public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television (BNT).
Milotinova was elected to succeed Emil Koshlukov, who was elected to the post in 2019 but has remained in office for years beyond his three-year term of office amid court challenges that delayed CEM choosing a new head of BNT.
Three out of the five members of CEM voted in favour of Milotinova: chairperson Simona Veleva, Gabriel Naplatanova and Kudrinka Kudrinova.
Veleva is from the parliamentary quota for members of CEM and was nominated by We Continue the Change. Naplatanova and Kudrinova are from the head of state’s quota, and were appointed by then-president Roumen Radev.
There were initially five candidates: Milotinova, Koshlukov, Svilena Dimitrova and Nevena Andonova, while Sasho Yovkov was eliminated from the election after he did not attend a February 19 hearing.
Prolet Velkova, from the parliamentary quota, a Democratic Bulgaria nominee, voted for Andonova, while Galina Georgieva, also from the parliamentary quota and a GERB nominee, voted for Koshlukov.
Koshlukov, at his hearing on February 19, alleged that the current election procedure was illegitimate and said that he would take court action.
Milotinova is a graduate in Bulgarian Phililogy and English Language and Literature from Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski and has a master’s degree in journalism from that university.
She joined BNT as a reporter in 1990 and became a newsreader on the public broadcaster’s flagship 8pm news bulletin.
From 2001 to 2005, she was a member of Parliament for Simeon Saxe-Coburg’s party, and chaired the parliamentary committee on the media.
Currently, Milotinova hosts a programme on European and international issues on Bulgaria On Air television.
At her February 19 hearing, Milotinova pledged to conduct a thorough audience analysis for the needs of the programme schedule and the creation of new shows.
She also spoke of plans to introduce short news reports on the hour as preludes to the main news broadcast, and has the ambition that BNT will offer more investigations and editorial independence.
Milotinova said that the public broadcaster should establish itself as an alternative to commercial media with more space for discussion and cultural debate and with a strong digital presence.
Her election to head BNT comes just less than two months before Bulgaria heads to early parliamentary elections on April 19.
CEM’s February 20 decision is subject to appeal in court, with a deadline of 14 days.
(Photo: BNT)
