An important problem of local media is royalty fees that result in lawsuits, fines and even the imprisonment of the media representatives. TIMEF pioneered meetings between local media and professional societies representing music producers such as MUYA-BIR, MUYAP, MESAM, MSG, and MUYOR-BIR. The main motivation of the meetings was to decrease the royalty determined unilaterally by these organizations to reasonable and payable levels. As a result of the negotiations, TIMEF signed a protocol with MUYA-BIR. TIMEF continues its efforts to reach an agreement with the remaining four organizations that cannot reach an agreement with TIMEF because ofthe conflictsamong each other.

The results of the domestic and international media activities of TIMEF indicate that the media sector has urgent problems that cannot be addressed without the support of all related stakeholders.

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“The Local Media Report” consisting nine articles have been presented to the executive branch, political parties, and concerning people and organizations. The summary of the nine articles of the presented report are as follows:

1. Local and Regional TV stationsshould access to satellite broadcasting with low fees and necessary support. To do so, outlets with temporary (terrestrial) broadcast permission and RTUK registration for local transmission should receive satellite broadcast licence free of charge or at very low cost.
2. Besides the use of satellite technology, local terrestrial broadcasting should be activated in new formats through new technologies to keep up with the requirements of Media localness and subsidiarity.
3. To improve democracy and human rights, obstacles to local media mustbe removed in all fields of operation. İndividual broadcasting/digital individual broadcasting should be supported and developed.
4. Local media experience serious challenges inhibiting local broadcasting because of high royalty. The owners of local media are sued by professional societies. Whenthe unilaterally determined royalties cannot be paid, owners faceproperty seizures and even imprisonment.
5. RTUK gives fines well beyond the financial capital of local media outlets. When giving fines, RTUK should consider operating income and punish mediabased on the program under investigation. Moreover, RTUK should not be an authority constantlygiving fines. Instead, it should be a regulatory and supervisory agency and forgive all overdue finesfor once as well.

Finally, RTUK should apply an amnesty program for organizations whose broadcasting has been ceased since they cannot pay frequency/channel allocation fees, or RTUK should at least not collect these fees during the suspended operations.

6. Anatolia Media should benefit from financial incentives and arrangements. Besides state supports, professional organizations should develop income earning opportunities for TV and radio stations.
7. A fee must be paid for public service adds aired by TVs and radios.
8. Anatolia media should be provided special discounts and various protective supports to increase the employment at media sector.
9. A news media society at the national level should be established in Turkey.

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TIMEF aims to continue these workshops on a regular basis, once a year.

TIMEF has recently proposed or inspired three actions for EU funding. Below is information about these three projects.

This project has been proposed by TIMEF to the MATRA Social Transformation Programme, a bilateral assistance programme of the Netherlands that aims to support social transformation in countries neighbouring European Union.

From the beginning of the 1990s, 400 local TV channels have been established in every region of Anatolia. Since then, 80% of these channels were closed down or went off the air due to political, technological and economic reasons. Nearly 3,000 qualified and competent journalists working for these channels had to leave their jobs.

The project aims at strengthening and developing freelance journalism practice that provides new venues to the unemployed journalists to perform their profession independently, while helping social change in Turkey.

The global objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity of grassroots CSOs for active democratic participation in policy and decision making processes. The project will improve the capacity and effectiveness of local media and communication CSOs in Ordu regarding policy dialogue and advocacy activities. The specific objective of the action is to improve the administrative, advocacy and communication skills of grassroots CSOs so that they can participate more effectively in policy dialogue.

The action will also form a new media and communication CSO federation to become a bridge between TIMEF and the media professionals in Ordu.

The project has been proposed by TIMEF to Turkish National agency. Its sub-category is KA1 - Learning Mobility of Individuals-Youth Mobility.

The proposed project is a seven-day training course aiming to provide youth organisations and youth workers from 11 countries with skill and knowledge regarding online communication and campaigning as well as creating innovative tools for the communication and motivation. The action is especially designed for youth leaders and youth workers, interested in new technology and social media

The trainings involve learning-by-doing experience through workshops, info sessions, simulation games, evaluations, practical assignments, group activities, practicing, and modelling.

In an attempt to discuss the challenges and solutions, TIMEF brought together the local media outlets from the local communities of Anatolia at Rixos Hotel in Ankara, in 2012. The discussions during the meeting led to a report that specified the problems and provided recommendations for the solutions. The report was then submitted to the speaker of the Turkish Parliament (TBMM), the minister responsible from media, the ruling party, and the opposition parties.

Based on the demands emerged at the meeting, the media community considered broadcasting through the Turkish satellite operator TURKSAT. However, high satellite capacity fees and limited budgets of local media outlets led TIMEF to establish Anatolia Networks Platform to seek for other alternatives of broadcasting. As a result, TIMEF pioneered the platform’s agreement with ASTRA, animportant internationalsatellite service provider in the world. The agreement involved rental fees less than the half of TURKSAT fees that enabled the TV stations of Anatolia networks to broadcast through ASTRA.

The agreement signed between Anatolia Networks Platform and ASTRA motivated TURKSAT to decrease capacity rental fees to local broadcasters in Turkey. Some members of the network started broadcasting through TURKSAT by the end of their contracts with ASTRA. As a result, the efforts of TIMEF also helped TURKSAT to gain new local TV broadcasters as customers.

Today, the competition environment contributed by TIMEF local TV stations (though still limited in number), broadcast through TURKSAT channels in Turkey.