Public Broadcasting chief Anton Attard touted for Times position

The Public Broadcasting Services chief executive officer Anton Attard has not denied reports that he will quit his post at the national broadcaster, to take up a job at The Times.

In his initial comments to MaltaToday over the phone, Attard said it was his "prerogative" as to whether he takes up the post at The Times before, or after the general election.

Attard, however, asked that he be sent any questions in writing, replying later by email: "I am currently contracted by PBS Ltd and have nothing more to add."

Attard formerly headed the Nationalist Party's television station Net and in 2008, he ran Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi's media campaign, taking care of every aspect of the PN leader's electoral campaign. He was then appointed as CEO at the national broadcaster in 2010.

"I suggest you investigate the reasons why your editor is recently so interested in the PBS CEO's future, especially when one takes into account that your editor's TV programme proposed to PBS was turned down and rejected," Attard added in his reply.

On his part, MaltaToday managing editor Saviour Balzan - who previously presented Reporter on TVM under the extended public service obligation - said he had not applied for any programme.

"Indeed, it was Anton Attard who recently pestered me to have a programme on TVM. Attard is at the helm of a public television station and MaltaToday has every right to ask questions about the persons managing the national broadcaster, as it had always done in the past.

"I have not applied to host any programme since 2010. I know I have no chance for a programme at TVM with the supremacy of Where's Everybody and the likes of PBS head of news, Natalino Fenech. Before Fenech's arrival at TVM, the public broadcaster had no issue with Reporter."

Fenech has initiated criminal libel proceedings against Balzan and MaltaToday.com.mt editor Matthew Vella over the late publication of a right-of-reply.

Since taking over at PBS, Anton Attard has come under harsh criticism for the way the national station has been run, despite an ambitious programme schedule for a new TVM2 channel and a forthcoming HD station.

Labour has been foremost in its criticism of news bulletins, with repeated complaints submitted to the Broadcasting Authority. Last week the Nationalist Party hit out at the Broadcasting Authority in a strongly-worded press statement, for its ruling to have PBS retain a previous system that allows parties to choose their own representatives when invited on the national broadcaster's current affairs programmes.

The PBS had referred its recently-enacted policy to have sole discretion on who political parties send as guests on current affairs programmes, to the discretion of the BA, which on its part, agreed that the previous system should have been retained.

The matter was referred to the BA because the Labour party protested PBS's insistence that it should be Charles Mangion to be invited to face Finance Minister Tonio Fenech on Bondiplus, when the PL wanted another of its finance spokespersons Karmenu Vella to represent the party.

In the forthcoming autumn schedule, PBS has awarded more current affairs programmes to Lou Bondì and Peppi Azzopardi's Where's Everybody? production house, and Pierre Portelli's Watermelon Media.

The new TVM schedule will include Lou Bondì's BondiPlus on Tuesday and Thursday at 9.45pm, and Pierre Portelli now hosts a programme on Monday evening and daily breakfast show TVAM.

The real novelty however is the introduction of TVHEMM, a new current affairs programme by Where's Everybody? that will be broadcast from Monday to Friday after the 6pm news bulletin.