Bernard Grech calls PBS ‘Robert Abela’s TV’, calls for effective monitoring by Broadcasting Authority

PBS should stop being “Robert Abela’s TV station”, Bernard Grech said, hours after a court ruled the Nationalist Party’s rights were breached by the national broadcaster.

“The Nationalist Party expects the Prime Minister to let go of his control on PBS,” Grech told reporters on Thursday afternoon after a judge fined PBS and the Broadcasting Authority for breaching the PN’s rights.

He added: “We expect journalists at PBS to do their job without political interference… we cannot have a Robert Abela TV station.”

PBS and the BA were each fined €1,500 with the judge slamming the “winner takes all mentality” pervasive in Maltese politics.

The Opposition leader said the judgment recognised the disadvantage the PN faced in getting its message out to the people.

He also lambasted the Broadcasting Authority, a constitutional watchdog, insisting that it was failing in its duty to pro-actively take action when the national broadcaster failed to achieve balance.

“The BA is there to ensure balance is maintained and yet, despite PBS repeatedly breaching the PN’s rights, the authority is not taking action and only intervenes when it is too late and only after it receives a formal complaint,” Grech said.

He said the BA’s budget must increase to ensure effective media monitoring is done so that action can be taken immediately.

Grech was flanked by MPs David Agius and Graham Bencini, and PN secretary-general Michael Piccinino.