On Our Radar

France Télévisions, SABC, and LRT

5 December 2025

On Our Radar this week, we look at the bomb threat that forced an evacuation of the Paris headquarters of France Télévisions, the looming risk of a national blackout at South Africa’s SABC, and the growing pressure on Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT. 

"France.tv" sign on the facade of the headquarters of France Télévisions, the national program company which manages the activities of public television in France. Credit: HJBC / Shutterstock.com

Welcome to On Our Radar, a new advocacy-driven space where we highlight developments of particular concern. Each week, we’ll flag a handful of issues affecting our members, other public service media, and media freedom that we believe demand attention, solidarity, or joint action.

Sometimes these could result in public statements or calls for information; at other times, quiet diplomacy and shows of solidarity by simply saying, “this matters, and it shouldn’t go unnoticed”. If something here resonates with your own concerns, or if there is an issue you think should be on our radar, please contact the PMA team.

On Our Radar this week…

Public media has faced a direct bomb threat in France. On 29 November, the Paris headquarters of France Télévisions was evacuated after police warned of a bomb threat against the building, forcing live broadcast to be cut mid-programme, and disruption to other services while officers and bomb disposal teams secured the site. Reports suggest the threat came from an individual, and the motive has not been disclosed. But it follows a similar evacuation of BFMTV earlier in November, underlining how the media – both public and private – are increasingly being targeted as symbols of democratic life. Threats of this nature are not routine security incidents but direct attempts to intimidate journalists and interrupt the public’s access to news and information. We stand with colleagues at France Télévisions and urge authorities to treat such threats with the utmost seriousness, ensuring robust investigations, visible support for media workers, and clear public condemnation so that intimidation does not become normalised. Read more from franceinfo. 

SABC in South Africa faces a potential national blackout due to unpaid debt to signal distributor Sentech. Sentech, currently subsidising SABC’s signal by over R70 million monthly, warns it cannot maintain this support past year-end, risking a shutdown of SABC transmitters. If that happens, the SABC would face a national blackout, and millions of people who rely on its services for news, education and emergency information would suddenly lose access to a critical public lifeline. This latest development comes as progress on a more sustainable funding model has been postponed until early 2026. As South Africa debates the future funding model, there is an urgent need for interim support from the government so that SABC is not effectively priced off the air, and audiences aren’t faced with an avoidable information blackout. Read more from MyBroadband. 

In Lithuania, public media staff are now on the front line defending editorial independence. Staff at public broadcaster LRT have launched a week-long protest as parliament debates reforms that would make it easier for the LRT Council to dismiss the director general, and after lawmakers voted to freeze the broadcaster’s budget for three years, with a later cut in the share of tax revenue it receives. These moves would erode key safeguards for LRT’s independence and financial security at the very moment when the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) is supposed to be strengthening, not weakening, protections for public service media across the EU. We support LRT staff and civil society in Lithuania who are urging that these proposals be withdrawn to ensure the LRT Council remains depoliticised and the broadcaster receives stable, sufficient funding. Undermining a public broadcaster in one EU country can set a dangerous precedent, suggesting EMFA safeguards may be ignored elsewhere. We urge Lithuanian lawmakers to reconsider and call on EU institutions, media freedom groups, and fellow public broadcasters to monitor this issue and advocate for truly independent, well-funded public media as essential to European democracy. Read more from LRT.

We will continue to monitor these issues and issue updates via our website, newsletters and social media.

This is not an exhaustive list of our concerns. If you would like to raise other concerns, please let us know.