The Lm200,000 profit registered by the Public Broadcasting Services in the financial year 2005-2006 will be re-invested in the company, said Investment, Industry and IT Minister Austin Gatt yesterday.

Dr Gatt said that the Lm200,000 profit in itself was nothing much, but it had to be seen against the Lm2.4 million that used to be pumped into PBS annually between the years 2000-2003.

PBS chairman Joe Fenech said that since restructuring began at PBS, the aim had always been to return a positive financial result, while trying to also improve quality. “We have done this already in a number of ways. We have increased children’s programmes from seven to 15 hours per week, we have reduced repeats to 12 hours per week and we have upped prime-time viewing from three-and-a-half to five hours,” said Mr Fenech.

He also said that revenue generated from advertising in the period under review had been the highest generated in the past five years. “At the same time, we have reduced expenditure drastically by some Lm1.2m.”

“This is the first profit made by PBS in a long time and we are projecting better results for the next financial year,” he said.

Mr Fenech said that the station had increased in efficiency, but not at the expense of quality.

“We are investing across the board, but one of the most important areas is that of sports. When we say sports, we do not only mean the mainstream, but also niche sports. We are also planning more drama, in particular period drama,” he said.

Another project in the pipeline was a new radio station which would feature Maltese talent only and would be aptly named Maltin Biss (Maltese Only).

Apart from content, the company will be investing in more new equipment for the PBS newsroom, editing suite and studios. “We will be looking to upgrade equipment across the board. We must do this as the digital age is getting ever closer,” said Mr Fenech.

Another project which PBS was planning was to have a flagship current-affairs programme which would be produced in-house. “We must also sort out the archives which is no mean feat considering the huge amount of information that we have on tape and file,” he said.

Mr Fenech concluded by saying that PBS was about half-way through with its strategy to convert to digital broadcasting.

Dr Gatt said that the Lm7 million which had been pumped into PBS for nigh on three years was now being put to better use. “One can criticise the PBS as they have every right to, but one cannot expect to criticise the restructuring process. PBS is not a bottomless pit and there is no way that it can go back to being a drain on public funds,” said Dr Gatt.

“What has been achieved here should be taken as an example. PBS has finally turned the corner and is looking at making a modest profit for two years running, something which it now needs to sustain,” he said.

Dr Gatt did, however, say that the reforms should go through a bit quicker. “We need to have a modern-style station and newsroom that produces a seamless production,” he said.

He also said that while he too wanted to see PBS produce its own flagship programme, this could not be done at any cost. “It must be popular and it must be viable. The same goes for the sports reforms. I want a detailed analytical report before any decisions are taken. If it is free to air, then it must pay for itself,” he said.

To conclude, Dr Gatt said that one thing was clear, and this was that since the reforms, there had never been any complaint of government interference in PBS, which showed that the editorial board was sound and independent.

Asked by The Malta Independent about their thoughts on general comment that the presentation skills were “amateurish” and “outdated”, Mr Fenech said that one must always remember that Malta had a limited pool of resources and all that was produced was down to the creativity of employees. “However, we are looking at organising presentation seminars for our teams,” he said.

Dr Gatt, however, decided on a more typical tongue-in-cheek reply: “That is all subjective.

“We have to be very careful. Malta is a place where not many people accept criticism.

“If we axed anyone from presenting, or even said anything, we would probably have many other media companies breathing down our necks for it.”

Dr Gatt and Mr Fenech would not comment about the Spjun issue, where the Dutch franchise owner has filed a judicial protest in connection with violation of intellectual property rights. “That matter is in court and it would not be pertinent to comment,” was the reply.