Latvia's public broadcaster LSM cost each resident €26.5 in 2025
Calculations based on LSM's annual report and population registry data show public media operations cost €26.5 per registered resident last year — nearly triple the 2011 figure — with funding growth far outpacing inflation and questions raised over the broadcaster's storm response.
An analysis combining the annual report of Latvia's public media company LSM with population data from the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) shows that maintaining LSM in 2025 cost €26.5 per registered resident, counting both those living in Latvia and abroad (roughly 1.99 million people in total). That is 2.8 times higher than in 2011. Calculated only against Latvia's resident population of 1.86 million, the figure would be €28.4 per person.
Spending has accelerated sharply
Since advertising was banned on public broadcasters in 2021, LSM's turnover effectively consists of state budget funding. Between 2011 and 2020, spending grew moderately, from €21.1 million to €29.4 million, with annual growth staying under 8% except in 2014. From 2021 to 2025, however, growth accelerated: 24% in 2021, 12.8% in 2022, 10.3% in 2024 and 13.3% in 2025. By comparison, cumulative inflation from 2011 to 2025 was 59.6%, while LSM's turnover grew 150.6% over the same period. Total spending reached €52.8 million in 2025, and LSM board chair Baiba Zūzena has said funding needs will keep growing, including for resolving building-related issues.
Storm response raises accountability questions
Following a severe storm in late August that damaged power lines and disrupted mobile communications, LSM Radio was for part of the population nearly the only available source of information — yet its broadcast continued with entertainment programming rather than urgent updates. Amid the ensuing criticism, Latvian Radio's news service head, Uģis Lībietis, announced his resignation. Questions are also being raised about the responsibility of LSM's board and council members, whose combined annual pay approaches €700,000, for planning and managing the broadcaster's response to crisis situations.
