CyBC spending under the spotlight

THE CyBC has been put on notice to cut its costs and hike its revenue, as the House Finance Committee yesterday called it to account for its use of public finances.

Committee head Aristos Chrysostomou of DIKO said CyBC’s running costs were unjustifiably high compared to its private counterparts and that the Committee would be expecting a reduction in expenses and an increase in income so that it no longer needed to be maintained by the state.

“There are many loose ends, so we have asked them to submit in writing information surrounding the questions that have been asked, which are many,” Chrysostomou said.
Deputies’ questions also concerned the national broadcaster’s programmes, behaviour and operation methods, according to Chrysostomou.

“We are awaiting the written reports,” he added, “so that we can put them before Committee members and they can position themselves on the corporation’s budget.”
During the meeting, CyBC management and Board of Directors argued the company was failing to meet expectations regarding programme quality because of the reduction in state sponsorship.

After the meeting, Chrysostomou said it was “the CyBC themselves who had reduced their pensions and said they had saved money”.

The Finance Committee is expecting specific data on the matter: “CyBC is essentially being maintained by state sponsorship,” said Chrysostomou.

The Auditor-general’s report showed the difference in running costs between CyBC and private stations. “We see that there are great differences and we should wait and see if CyBC complies to a degree, so that by the end it will no longer need to be maintained by the state.”