Five leading TV stations in Macedonia are continuing their boycott of Government press conferences, but the details about their spat are still not clear. MMA, the Macedonian Media Association which is composed of the Sitel, Kanal 5, Alfa, Alsat and Telma televisions, began its boycott earlier this week, when cameramen lowered their cameras during a press conference by Transportation Minister Goran Sugareski.

The Lider news site asked MMA and the Government about their dispute but both sides remain coy, but unofficially it is understood that MMA is pushing a long-standing demand of the big TV stations. They want to be paid from cable providers for their programs and are proposing a law in this direction, but it is being stalled by the Government.

AVMU director Zoran Trajcevski, who is the main media regulator, would not describe the situation as a boycott and called on both sides to clear up their misunderstanding. Deputy Prime Minister Bujar Osmani asked the outlets to cooperate with the Government in the run up to the elections.