BTV will receive a sanction due to the reality show “The Bachelor”, as its content is unfavorable for the children’s audience. Administrative penalties will also be imposed on television, as it was only in the 5th episode that she indicated that there is product positioning in the show, which is a form of advertising.
This was decided by the renewed composition of the Council for Electronic Media (CEM), which met at its first meeting today and broadcast it live on the ZOOM platform. By law, CEM meetings are public.
Thus, for the first time, Prolet Velkova and Simona Veleva, elected a week ago from the parliamentary quota, and Gabriela Naplatanova, appointed from the quota of President Rumen Radev, took on a new role. Sonya Momchilova – also elected by Radev, chaired the meeting as chair of the CEM, and Galina Georgieva was absent.
The monitoring of “The Bachelor”, which was presented to the members, shows that eroticism has a serious presence in the show. At the same time, the spectators have been discussing the participants, as well as their morale since the start of the show. They call it “a vulgar, sexist show that relies on voyeurism, a humiliating format for women,” the CEM report said.
The council has received 44 letters from viewers, all critical of the show. They define it as follows: “it looks like a harem, ugly, vulgar, vulgar, this is not the moral of the Bulgarian girl, disgusting messages that should not be allowed on screen.” Some of the viewers also reacted negatively to the use of alcohol, which can be seen on the screen, which is a violation of both the media law and the Health Act, the CEM discussed.
The letters against the “Bachelor” rose suddenly after the last episode, which aired on May 13. Then a participant attacked another, called her a “Bulgarian villain” and flooded her with a glass of water. It was after that that 35 of the letters against the show were sent.
This is also the episode after which Sonya Momchilova decided that she should comment on the show, as she herself explained.
According to Gabriela Naplatanova, a former BTV journalist, CEM members must not forget that television has the function of entertaining and that competing televisions have gone through far more scandalous formats.
Prolet Velkova explained that she agreed with all the viewers’ definitions of the format and suggested that the CEM write a letter to BTV commenting on how it evaluates this format and how members think it affects young people.
According to Simona Veleva, this type of program, in view of the time range in which it is broadcast (21 hours), can have a negative impact on adolescents. “From an educational point of view, there is much to be desired,” she said.
Momchilova believes that Art. 17, item A of the Radio and Television Act, which refers to programs that may harm the physical, mental and moral development of children. Therefore, according to her, it would be demagoguery and abdication from their function both as members of the CEM and as parents, if they do not demand maximum sanction. Momchilova also responded indirectly to Naplatanova, explaining that television has long been a source of entertainment, as it promotes behavioral patterns. “Kitschy hedonism is being demonstrated,” Momchilova told The Bachelor.
Until that day, she thought not to comment, as interfering in the content of the commercial media is not the work of the CEM. But the show was not marked with a sign limiting the age of the viewers, although it is broadcast in the slot, which shows family formats. And she told what she saw on the show:
– The intellectual baggage of the participants was demonstrated in the show, which was sad.
– The episode of Good Friday was with beach games and love caresses. “Of course, everyone can disregard the fact that a large part of the population is Christian-oriented,” Momchilova said.
– Indescribable aggression between the participants.
– According to her, it can be broadcast at another time. It would not be so difficult for children, since it is broadcast in other countries, if Bulgaria is not in the first place in terms of child mortality, pedophilia, low education.
According to Momchilova, the show could have “brutal and drastic consequences on the child’s psyche.” A psychologist from a Sofia school called her to tell her how the children play “The Bachelor”. Finally, the CEM chairwoman called the show an “intellectual holocaust.”
CEM members have agreed to invite the television to talk, and the sanction they will impose on it will be discussed at the next meeting.
Meanwhile, Simona Veleva suggested that the CEM monitor the way the war in Ukraine was covered by the Bulgarian media. According to her, this monitoring should be from the beginning of the war until now, being done on key topics, as the period is very long.
Naplatanova demanded that the monitoring be combined with a sociological study to show how and from where Bulgarians learn about the war, how they form their attitude to the war and what the possible consequences of the war will be on Bulgaria.
Spring Velkova wished everyone to make an effort for the CEM to be more open to society and the media to feel free. According to her, pluralism should be a key principle around which to organize their work from now on.
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