The Public Service Media (PSM) has announced its commitment to providing candidates and political parties with free primetime slots across its various channels during the second round of the presidential election. During the first round of the presidential election, political parties and candidates utilised only 15% of the allocated on-air time provided by PSM channels.
PSM's subsidiary channels played a crucial role in broadcasting informative programmes related to presidential election candidates. Additionally, various channels have made time available to candidates and parties through both the sale of on-air time and advertising, alongside offering free slots.
One longstanding standard upheld by PSM, even prior to the announcement of the presidential election, is the non-broadcasting of political party events attended by the President. Instead, PSM has covered these events on a commercial basis, which is an opportunity provided for all political parties. Meanwhile, several parties have used the option to purchase airtime for such political party events.
Upon candidates receiving election approval, PSM ensured the President and other candidates received equal opportunities for airtime. All candidates were given the same opportunity and time slots from programmes. Also, opportunities for airtime slots and advertisements were allocated equally to all candidates.
Ali Khalid, the Managing Director of PSM, clarified that PSM has not provided free primetime hours to any candidate. However, political parties are welcome to purchase these slots at commercial rates if they so choose, he added.
PSM has strived to offer equal opportunities to all candidates, both on radio and TV, throughout the election campaign. The evening hours have been particularly lucrative for PSM in terms of advertising revenue, and consequently, they were allocated to candidates on a commercial basis. Various parties, including the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the opposition coalition of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Peoples National Congress (PNC), The Democrats, and the Maldives National Party (MNP), have utilised these time slots.
Further, Ali Khalid expressed the intention to make necessary adjustments based on the experiences of the first round of the presidential election and the observations of foreign observer teams. He reaffirmed the commitment to providing candidates with free primetime slots.
He emphasised the significance of offering equal opportunities to all candidates in the presidential election this year, marking a notable change from the approach taken in the previous presidential elections. He noted that while the same laws applied then and now, the changes made this time around were rooted in long-term considerations.