the Polish Press Agency state companies were placed into the state of liquidation, which is questioned due to its lack of clear connection with economic aspects. The process of regaining control over public media in Poland was finalized by the re-appointment of positions on the National Media Council, established under the PiS-led government in 2016, by the Civic Coalition-friendly representatives. This main ­tained the political connection of public broadcasters with the ruling political party, without resolving the far-reaching politicization of the management structures of television companies. Additionally, although the current ruling coali ­tion emphasizes that the abolition of the National Media Council should be part of the new media law, no action has been taken to date(September 2025) to achieve this. Taking into account the result of the 2025 presidential elections, which won Karol Nawrocki – a right-wing candidate unfa ­vorable to the government – the law changing the state and situation of public media might not be passed in the form envisioned by the ruling government. II. Systematic Analysis of the Public Broadcasting Services in Poland 1. Public Media: Legal Foundations and Modes of Operation The operations of public service broadcasting in Poland are regulated by various provisions, including the Constitu ­tion 11 , the Broadcasting Act(pol. ustawa o radiofonii i telewizji) 12 , and the National Media Council Act(pol. usta ­wa o Radzie Mediów Narodowych) 13 . As per the Broadcast­ing Act, the public broadcaster in Poland is composed from entities that should operate in the public interest and fulfill a social mission by providing information; make cultural and artistic assets accessible; facilitate the use of educa ­tion, sports, and scientific achievements; promote civic ed ­ucation; provide entertainment; and support national audiovisual production. Public service broadcasting in Po ­land includes Polish Television(TVP, pol. Telewizja Polska S.A.) and Polish Radio(pol. Polskie Radio S.A.) state com ­panies as well as regional stations of Polish Radio. The constitutional body safeguarding freedom of speech, the right to information, and the public interest in radio and television broadcasting is the National Broadcasting Coun ­cil(KRRiT) 14 . However, since 2016, another institution oper ­ates in this regard in the country – the National Media Council, which has assumed some of the powers of the KRRiT and is responsible for, among others, appointing and dismissing the governing bodies of public radio and television companies. Moreover, since December 2023, all the public media state companies are put into the state of liquidation. Even though this situation has been going on for over 20 months now(as of September 2025), these companies are still being co-financed from the state budget and the liquidation process has not been lifted (more on this in the III. Chapter). 2. Financing Public Media: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Prospects The basis for financing public media in Poland is the radio and television license fee. Since April 2005, the License Fee Act 15 has been in effect that ensures that collected fees will be transferred to enable public radio and television broad ­casting entities to fulfill their public mission. The National Broadcasting Council decides annually on the fee level. However, this system, for many years now, is declared inef ­fective for several reasons. First, Polish Post(pol. Poczta Polska) is responsible for collecting fees, and also oversees compliance with the obligation to register receivers and pay the subscription fee. Polish Post does not perform these services pro publico bono, but for an agreed-upon fee. Therefore, the media receives only a fraction of the collected subscription fees 16 . What is most problematic, however, is that effectiveness in the fees collection in Po ­land has been at a very low level for years. A 2025 report from the KRRiT shows that only about 38,8% of house ­holds(4.5 million) have registered their receivers and 32,1% of eligible to pay households and businesses(0.7 million) had paid their license fees by the end of 2024 17 . According to the KRRiT forecast, subscription revenues in 2025 will be even lower than in 2024 and will amount to EUR 142 mil ­lion. Furthermore, additional inspections to enforce fee col ­lection are often ineffective – not only are there too few in ­spectors, but there is no obligation to let them into home or apartment. As the report points out:“a huge challenge for broadcasters is the lack of financial stability, which places public media in a dilemma: mission or commercial ­ism, and prevents them from being impartial and fulfilling the function of social control and independence from polit­ical influence. Furthermore, strong competition in the me ­dia market in Poland puts public media under constant pressure to compete for audiences.” 18 Although the 2020 amendment to the Broadcasting Act expanded the list of 11 Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 2 kwietnia 1997 r., Dz. U. z 1997 r. Nr 78, poz. 483. 12 Ustawa z dnia 29 grudnia 1992 r. o radiofonii i telewizji, Dz.U. 1993 nr 7 poz. 34. 13 Ustawa z dnia 22 czerwca 2016 r. o Radzie Mediów Narodowych, Dz.U. 2016 poz. 929. 14 National Broadcasting Council – pol. Krajowa Rada Radiofonii i Telewizji(KRRiT). 15  Ustawa z dnia 21 kwietnia 2005 r. o opłatach abonamentowych, Dz.U. 2005 nr 85 poz. 728. 16 P. Maślak-Stępnikowska, Finansowanie Mediów Publicznych, Instytut Zamenhofa 2024, https://zamenhof.pl/2024/06/18/finansowanie-mediow-publicznych/[Accessed 13.09.2025]. 17 Sprawozdanie KRRiT z działalności w 2024 roku, KRRiT 2025, https://www.gov.pl/web/krrit/sprawozdania-i-informacja-z-dzialalnosci-w-2024-roku[Accessed: 13.09.2025]. 18  Informacja o podstawowych problemach radiofonii i telewizji w 2024 roku, KRRiT, https://www.gov.pl/web/krrit/sprawozdania-i-informacja-z-dzialalnosci-w-2024-roku [Accessed: 13.09.2025]. State of public service broadcasting in Poland 3