The three local radio stations licensed for Terceira Island (Rádio Clube de Angra, Rádio Horizonte, and Top FM) issued a statement expressing their deep disappointment that the Regional Government has failed to deliver on its promises of increased investment in institutional advertising in private media outlets based in the region.

The document sent to newsrooms, signed by the Chairman of the Board of Rádio Clube de Angra, Pedro Ferreira, and the General Director of Rádio Horizonte Açores and Top FM, João Paulo Pacheco, states that “the current Regional Government has been boasting about having created a new model of support for private media in the Azores (SIM Program), mainly because it has a political commitment to increase funding to meet the urgent needs of the region’s private media outlets. However, “the region prefers to continue applying old systems from other times and other governments, despite recognizing that the budget (at least on paper) now has much more financial availability to support these media outlets than in the past.

However, institutional advertising is always a utopia, at least on local radio stations.“ (…) The tired political theory of subsidies remains in place, instead of moving towards contracting services from the media, particularly local radio stations,” they say.

In addition, they note that “if everything remains as it is, the Regional Government should be aware that the goal of maintaining jobs and deepening the essential democratic role of the media in Azorean society will continue to die.”

In Correio dos Açores-Natalino Viveiros, director

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES