RTVS is tightening their belts and waiting for the state's millions

Employees at RTVS are tightening their belts and waiting for state funds, according to reports. Five members of the board, including representatives of employees and the workers' council, have called for a meeting to discuss financial matters with the administration. The initiators include four employee representatives, Robert Pajek, Barbara Stegeman, Janez Pirc, and Gregor Drnovšek, as well as Ilinka Todorovski, a representative of the workers' council of RTVS. They seek clarity on how the administration is working to secure budgetary resources in accordance with a recent law amendment. Under the new legislation, programs representing national communities receive state funding covering ten percent of the value of collected RTV contributions, while music production receives four percent. According to administrative statements, the organization should have received approximately 7.76 million euros from the Ministry of Culture and government offices for the first half of this year. However, these funds have yet to arrive, leaving the organization in a precarious financial position. The administration claims it has been implementing a restrictive human resource policy, limiting external contractual work, carefully reviewing investments, optimizing production and business processes, and promoting greater integration of content across television, radio, and digital platforms. Despite these efforts, the number of employed staff has decreased significantly. As of June 30, 1999 employment contracts had been signed, which is 30 fewer than at the end of 2025 and 25 less than planned. In the first half of the current year, 30 new employment agreements were concluded, while 60 employees left the organization. The administration warns that further reductions in operational costs without adequate and stable financing are not unlimited. Such measures could impact the execution of programming tasks. Therefore, maintaining stable operations and uninterrupted public service remains the top priority. In the first half of the year, RTVS generated revenue of 80.21 million euros and incurred expenses of 78.04 million euros, resulting in a surplus of 2.17 million euros. Expenses were 3.72 million euros lower than planned. However, revenues were also below expectations, with advertising income falling by 3.12 million euros. The administration confirmed that measures in this area are already being implemented. Despite these efforts, RTVS faces liquidity issues. It has recorded 7.76 million euros in anticipated funds for financing national community programs and music production for the first half of the year, even though the organization has not yet received them. By June, the organization was indebted to the state treasury in the amount of 8.1 million euros after paying salaries through the unified state treasury account. By the end of June, 2.5 million euros had been repaid, reducing the debt to 5.6 million euros. The Ministry of Finance, which the administration requested to increase its credit limit with the state treasury, confirmed on July 7 that the rights to use funds for RTVS financing are secured under the law within the appropriate budgetary positions. According to the ministry, the organization should align its payment dynamics with the competent authorities. Any potential overdraft would merely be a temporary measure due to delays in expected inflows.