Lou Bondi Calls For Closure Of ONE And Net: ‘They’re A Disaster For Democracy’
Radio 101 co- founder Lou Bondi said that both ONE and NET should close down, while PBS should be reformed.
“It’s a disaster for democracy that both parties have their own media houses, and I’m speaking as the first chairman of Radio 101,” Bondi told the Times of Malta.
“However, at the same time, you can’t continue with PBS being as biased as it is today. Malta needs a proper 24/7 news service – something like CNN – rather than a state broadcaster.”
“Party stations should be shut down and PBS should be reformed.”
Last year, Bondi told the annual State of the Nation survey that ONE and NET are contributing to a culture of “hyper-partisanship”, which is alienating several people from the political arena.
In 2021, Lovin Malta and former CEO Chris Peregin filed a constitutional case challenging the constitutionality of a proviso in the Broadcasting Act which allows the regulator not to monitor political party-owned TV stations for impartiality. The case is still ongoing.