Reform of the Latvian public media in the perspective of developing modern content distribution technologies, evolution of user needs and complicated Latvia–Russia relations

Tomasz Fraszczyk

Pełny tekst artykułu English version of the article

The article presents an outline of the evolution of the Latvian audiovisual media market (after 1988), the influence of the 2009 market crash on media entities (including those public) and key discussion topics and decisions made as a result of the crisis by Latvian institutions responsible for the media landscape. Detailed attention will be given to the new law on electronic mass media (in force from 2011) and those elements of the public media system reform project (announced in 2013), that are an outcome of the dynamic development of new content distribution technologies and changing user needs and habits, especially in younger age groups. The final part of the work will concern the complicated Latvia–Russia relations and the multi-aspect contribution of mass media in their shaping. The conclusion indicates a broad scope of discussion and analytical works in Latvia concerning the reform of public media, which suggests it will not be abandoned in the following years.

KEYWORDS

Latvia, public media, media policy, new media, Russia