MEDIA MARKET DATA - World Association of Newspapers

Coonan tried to allay concerns the proposed changes would lead to even more concentrationof ownership and said reform was needed to adapt to the rapid changes brought to the medialandscape by the Internet and the advent of digital television. "It won't necessarily mean(more concentration) at all ... we might have more entrants under the current proposal,"Coonand said on national radio. "What I think we have to recognise is that the wholelandscape for media has changed -- people now get news and diversity from hundreds, if notthousands, of unmediated additional sources," she said. But in a bid to meet some critics'concerns, the Coonan plan would require that a minimum of five commercial media groups beactive in television, newspaper and radio in major metropolitan areas and four in regionalmarkets. It would also maintain existing restrictions that prevent broadcasters from owningmore than one television license or two radio licenses in any one market. Foreign acquisitionsof Australian media would also be subject to review by the Treasury. Currently overseasinvestors can only own 15 percent of a television broadcaster and up to 25 percent of a masscirculation newsapaper. Other changes proposed in Coonan's reform paper titled "Meeting theDigital Challenge: Reforming Australia 's media in the digital age" included delaying aplanned switchover from analog to digital television transmissions from 2008 to 2010.Coonan gave publishers a month to respond to her discussion paper, after which she isexpected to submit legislation embodying her proposals to parliament. Australia has one ofthe highest concentrations of media ownership of any industrialised Western country, with 90percent of metropolitan newspapers owned by Murdoch's News Ltd and John FairfaxHoldings, and television dominated by PBL and the Seven Network of rival mogul KerryStokes. AFP; March 14, 2006 TAXESVATHungaryA two-year lobbying effort to reduce the VAT on newspapers and magazines from 15 percentto 5 percent in Hungary has met with success. Subscriptions for newspapers and magazinesare now calculated with the reduced VAT, and all newspapers and magazines sold atnewsstands will also be reduced to the 5 percent level as of July 1, 2006. Contact: KatalinHavis, mle.havask@t-online.hu; Newsletter for Directors of WAN Member Associations - N°34 ; February 2, 2006 COMPETITIONState SupportAzerbaijanThe OSCE Office in Baku welcomed President Ilham Aliyev's decision to cancel the debts ofnewspapers, including leading opposition publications, to the State publishing houseAzerbaijan. The debts, totalling 350,000 euros, will now be paid from the State budget.http://www.bakutoday.net/view.php?d=16207; February 2, 200674