Romanian media investor Gheorghe Constantin Păunescu, shareholder of TV station B1 TV, plans to launch a new TV station to broadcast in the counties of Dolj and Olt.

The planned TV station, to be called GDS TV, is yet to receive the licence from Romania's audiovisual watchdog CNA, which already discussed it in one of its recent sessions.

Paunescu's new investment would be done via the company Media Sud Europa SA, which has been active in local media for the last 15 years. The firm owns the Radio Sud station, the regional newspaper Gazeta de Sud (gds.ro), the Oltenia Business magazine and several online publications, including craiova.ro. The media company already runs video content on its websites, and launching a TV station would be a natural step, according to its representatives.

The new TV station will be a generalist one and plans to broadcast its own productions for 17 hours a day. Around half of its programs will aim to inform, while a quarter will be entertainment programs, 1.7 percent educational programs, 3.5 percent, cultural, and 17 percent, advertising.

Y 2015, the new TV station is expected to spend some EUR 260,000 in total. It will have a team of 27 journalists.

Media Sud Europa SA is majority owned by Company Finmacht SA from Switzerland, whose sole shareholder is Gheorghe Constantin Păunescu. Minority shareholders in Media Sud Europa are also another media company - Curierul Naţional, as well as Spet Shipping, Dac Air and Transexim. Paunescu is also a shareholder in B1 TV Channel SRL, which owns the B1 TV station.

editor@romania-insider.com