Veselin Stoynev's comment:
The removal of Maria Tsantsarova from BTV's morning block and the departure of leading journalists from the media outlet, who lost their freedom, is, alas, not a precedent. Over the years, the same thing has happened more than once - with other owners and other bosses. What is new is the straightforward ruthlessness, which no longer even cares that she is too stupid.
The intention to remove Tsantsarova has been around for a long time, everyone on television and in the guild knows it. But given the new socio-political situation in the country after the protests and the resignation of the government, her removal from the air, if not canceled, could at least have been postponed. Any reasonable manager in a private media outlet, even if very dependent, would convince those on whom they depend a lot of the need for a quiet and at least temporary retreat. Because otherwise what will happen will happen - protests against the television and the damage to its prestige, which will probably lead to a decrease in the audience. And this means a loss of market share and advertising revenue.
Stupid decision, stupid excuse
BTV's decision was so stupid that its foreign managers even allowed themselves to fall into an elementary contradiction in their public explanation of the case. Maria Tsantsarova had repeatedly violated the media's standards of impartiality, but they still wanted to offer her to host another show in prime time. Which means that either the management violates these standards as well, since they can offer a "recidivist" to continue hosting a show in prime time. Which immediately raises the suspicion that this is not a violation of journalistic standards at all, but something else entirely. And this "other" can only be the maxim "nothing personal, just business, madam", which business, however, clearly has nothing to do with journalism.
Because business has its standards too. Normal business operates according to legal rules and standards of professionalism, while media business also relies on public trust. The trust of the audience is capital that exceeds even the huge business investments in the media. If a national television station, in addition to entertainment, has a national license to offer information and journalism, the quality standards first and foremost presuppose journalistic freedom, including independence even from the commercial interest of the media.
The reasons probably go beyond the usual business interests
But the reaction of the company's management also casts a heavy shadow of doubt on the legitimacy of its commercial interest. Because he would not allow himself to jeopardize the capital of trust, which is directly related to viewership and advertising sales. And he would never allow public scandals with dismissals, solidarity departures, protests by the guild in front of the television building and sharp criticism of it in other media and on social networks. Therefore, it is quite possible that there is a greater business interest, which far exceeds the interest in advertising sales.
Whether it is related to other economic activities of the owner or even to conditions for acquiring the media at all - this is a serious doubt, justified by the anti-logic of the aforementioned normal business interest. And its validity is even independent of the testimonies of journalists from the inside, who worked previously and currently in the media, from statements by politicians from the parliamentary rostrum or from journalistic research and investigations in other media.
IBTV like Peevski
When this other interest, exceeding the purely commercial media interest, exceeds normal business standards and business logic, it is logical to assume that it relies on political protection or political dependence to achieve its other goals. The unpardonably stupid actions in themselves and the no less stupid justifications that followed them by the media management point the mind in this very direction.
The behavior of a roller in this large private media is the same as that of the leader of "DPS-New Beginning" Delyan Peevski. With unforgiving audacity, he began to openly manifest his illegitimate power, thus lighting the fuse of the protests that led to the fall of the government. The power of the backstage is generally best protected in the dark, and when it demonstratively comes out to impose itself in the light, it already begins to claim totality, risking, however, a head-on collision with the anger of those who until now have only gnashed their teeth in powerlessness against it.
The unforgiving behavior of the BTV management in the "Tsantsarova" case is not an isolated phenomenon, but the icing on the cake of a series of preceding events and developments, isomorphic to the same total claim of illegitimate imposition of interest. There are once again no brakes before it, not even of elementary decency.
But as in the case of Peevski's wick, which sent us to early elections, BTV, instead of burning Maria Tsantsarova, lit a wick, after which it will glow. The consequences for the media are very likely to be similar to those for the state after the full squares at the beginning of the month. And a horizon for liberation may open up on the media terrain.
Because the unforgiving behind-the-scenes appetite is ultimately self-destructive like any bulimia. And many can now cheerfully say: Nothing personal, but still - thank you, Peevski, thank you, BTV!