LTV and LR Employees Oppose Replacing Historical Brands with 'LSM'
Employees of Latvijas Televīzija and Latvijas Radio have signed an open letter urging the preservation of the historical brands, expressing concerns about their gradual replacement by the new 'LSM' brand.
Over 200 employees of Latvijas Televīzija (LTV) and Latvijas Radio (LR) have signed an open letter to the board of Latvijas Sabiedriskais medijs (LSM), calling for the retention of the historical brands "Latvijas Televīzija" and "Latvijas Radio" in the public sphere.
The employees note that the LSM board has introduced the new "LSM" brand as a mother brand, but they fear it will gradually replace the well-known existing names. They emphasize that LTV and LR are not merely corporate identities that can be merged or eliminated—both recently celebrated significant anniversaries (LR 100 years, LTV 70 years) and have earned public trust.
The letter asks for clarification on the future of the brands, including whether on-air names like "Latvijas Radio ziņas" and "Panorāma" will remain or be replaced by "LSM ziņas". It also questions the visual appearance of buildings: the "Latvijas Televīzija" sign on the Zaķusala building has already been removed, and the LSM board said it will not be restored; similarly, the "Latvijas Radio" sign on the Radio house at Doma laukums is set to be removed.
The LSM board informed that channel name changes will occur at the end of the year after the Saeima elections, with new identities presented to employees in July. Changes are already visible on social media—for example, the ltv.lv Facebook page now uses an "LSM" logo, and job postings refer to "LSM televīzija" and "LSM radio".
Employees recall that before the merger of public media, the Saeima committee and the Electronic Mass Media Council (SEPLP) promised to preserve the identities, citing administrative cost reduction as the goal. They also promised not to merge newsrooms to ensure editorial diversity, yet the board has already decided to merge them, with the process expected to start soon.
On November 11, 2024, SEPLP approved LSM's statutes, which require board approval from SEPLP for brand changes. The employees believe the issue should be discussed more broadly, so the letter has also been sent to the President of Latvia and Saeima deputies.
