The Tourism and Culture Ministry, the Broadcasting Authority and the Commissioner for Children have set up a committee to initiate a consultation process on the revision of the Broadcasting Code for the Protection of Minors and the Guidelines for Audio-Visual Programme Content Created for Children.

For this purpose, the committee held a public meeting on Thursday in the Robert Samut Hall, Floriana where the Commisioner for Children, Carmen Zammit, the Cchairman of the Broadcasting Authority, Joseph Scicluna, and Fr Joe Borg, advisor to the Minister for Tourism and Culture, presided the presentation of the “Broadcasting Code for the Protection of Minors” and “Guidelines for Audio Visual Programme Content created for Children”, a review of children’s programmes broadcast on local broadcasting stations during 2007, and a questionnaire on quality children’s programmes.

The aim of the advisory committee is to promote debate and update present broadcasting legislation that has been in force since 1 September, 2000 and to improve broadcasting quality standards relating to children’s programmes on radio and television.

With this aim, a questionnaire has been drawn up by the advisory committee that should be answered by all media stakeholders: radio and television consumers; producers and broadcasting stations; advertisers and industrialists; professionals in the social and educational fields; and other relevant regulatory authorities. The questionnaire has been put on the Broadcasting Authority’s website on “www.ba-malta.org” where it can be downloaded and sent by e-mail on “[email protected]”; by fax on 2124 0855, or by post to the authority’s offices at 7 Mile End Road, Hamrun HMR 1719.

The closing date is Friday, 30 November.