Romania's Media Council Revokes Realitatea Plus Broadcasting License Over Unpaid Fines

Romania's National Audiovisual Council voted on Tuesday, April 7, to revoke the broadcasting license of Realitatea Plus television, ordering the station to cease transmissions after accumulating 28 unpaid fines from 2024 totaling 605,000 lei. The decision was adopted unanimously by the seven members present at the public meeting: Valentin-Alexandru Jucan, Monica Gubernat, Daniela Bârsan, Dorina Rusu, Ionel Palăr, Mircea Toma, and Vasile Bănescu. Two council members, Georgică Severin and Lucian Dindirică, withdrew from the meeting before the vote was held. The council also revoked the license of radio station Gold FM in the same session, citing the same grounds. The measure takes effect from the date the official notification is communicated to the station and to cable distribution companies.

Realitatea Plus obtained its audiovisual license from the CNA in January 2013 but began broadcasting effectively in 2015. From November 1, 2019, the station took over the structure and broadcast of the former Realitatea TV, whose license was withdrawn after its parent company, Realitatea Media, entered bankruptcy proceedings that year. The audiovisual license for Realitatea Plus is held by the company PHG Media-Invest SRL, whose sole associate is Daniela Madi Păcuraru, the wife of businessman Maricel Păcuraru. PHG Media-Invest also holds licenses for two other channels, Realitatea Star and Realitatea Sportivă.

CNA vice-president cites six-month legal deadline The legal basis for the revocation was Article 57, paragraph 1, letter d of the Audiovisual Law, which mandates license withdrawal when a holder fails to submit proof of fine payment within six months of the fine being applied. CNA Vice-President Valentin-Alexandru Jucan, who proposed the measure, stated during the session that the obligation rested exclusively with the broadcaster and that the station had been given ample time to comply. Mircea Toma noted that the CNA had warned Realitatea Plus to settle its debts as far back as February 2026, and that months, not hours, had passed since then. The station's lawyer, Ioan Georgescu, argued during the meeting that the fines had in fact been paid but that he did not have the documentary proof on hand, and asked the council to wait a few more days. Vasile Bănescu, voting in favor of revocation, countered that any person in Romania provides proof of payment to avoid conflict with institutions. The station had paid fines issued in 2025 but had not settled the 28 outstanding fines from 2024, the year Romania's first round of presidential elections was annulled.

AUR leader calls revocation a political coup George Simion, founder and president of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, condemned the decision in a Facebook post shortly after the vote, framing it as part of a broader political attack on opposition voices. „The coup d'état continues: they withdrew the license of Realitatea TV, it was the only major television station that allowed us to speak! DOWN WITH CENSORSHIP!!!” — George Simion via HotNews.ro Simion's reference to a "coup d'état" echoed language he and his party have used since the annulment of the first round of Romania's 2024 presidential elections. According to reporting by Ziare.com, AUR pays 60,000 euros monthly for political advertising on Realitatea Plus, with the source of those funds being the party's public financing allocation. The group of companies controlling Realitatea Plus, linked to businessman Maricel Păcuraru, was also reportedly targeted by Romania's tax authority ANAF for what the authority described as controlled tax optimization, involving the movement of funds between companies to record profit while leaving state debts of 259,000 lei unpaid, according to Ziare.com.

Station vows to broadcast online, fight ruling in court Journalist Anca Alexandrescu, a producer at Realitatea Plus, rejected the council's decision and announced the station would continue operating through online platforms while pursuing a legal challenge. „Welcome to the dictatorship! Yes, it is true that the CNA has revoked our license, even though all fines are paid (including those suspended by the court)! I told you this is what they would do!” — Anca Alexandrescu via HotNews.ro Alexandrescu added that the station would not stop broadcasting and invited viewers to watch online that same evening at 21:00. She stated the station would contest the decision in court and, if necessary, broadcast from in front of the Victoria Palace and the Cotroceni presidential palace. The station must formally cease its traditional broadcast once it receives the written notification from the CNA, which will also be forwarded to cable distribution operators. If the license holders wish to transfer the station's structure and broadcast to another entity, as was done in 2019 when Realitatea Plus absorbed the former Realitatea TV, they would require fresh CNA approval under current legislation.