bTV has removed long-time morning show host Maria Tsantsarova from the air, effectively erasing her presence from the programme as if she had never been part of it. On Monday morning, viewers of “This Morning” saw Rosen Tsvetkov in the studio, while Tsantsarova was nowhere to be seen and is not expected to return as a host.
Further reading: Bulgarian Journalists Rally Against bTV Decision to Remove Morning Show Hosts
The television acknowledged, without clear explanation, that Tsantsarova was being moved away from the morning block and would instead work on the “development of programme content”. The vague justification triggered strong reactions within the journalistic community and led to a protest on Friday evening.
According to the schedule announced on air, Rosen Tsvetkov will host the programme until December 28, after which Gergana Venkova will take over from December 29 to January 2. Viewers were told that Zlatimir Yochev, who usually co-hosts the show, is on pre-planned Christmas leave. No reference was made to Tsantsarova or to the sudden change in the team, creating the impression that other presenters had simply disappeared.
Tsantsarova herself reacted publicly for the first time via Facebook. She recalled that her last words to viewers on Friday were “See you on Monday”, only to learn shortly afterwards that she had been removed from the morning block. She apologized to viewers for the unintended promise and wrote that, while everything being said about her removal was true, next to her name one should now add the phrase “taken off the air”.
She stressed that she had always tried to ensure that important topics missing from evening news reached viewers in the morning. On Monday, she noted, this did not happen. Tsantsarova thanked colleagues and viewers who supported her and refused to remain silent.
Despite attempts to pretend she no longer exists on screen, bTV aired an interview conducted by Tsantsarova with Solomon Passy, apparently pre-recorded. During the broadcast, guest Martin Atanasov, creator of “Cherna pista”, symbolically handed Rosen Tsvetkov a glass bearing the slogan “Time to make real change”, identical to the one Tsantsarova used. Another glass with the message “The glass overflowed” had already become a symbol of the journalistic protest held on Friday.
Media outlet Club Z reported that for months parts of the tabloid press had campaigned against Tsantsarova, portraying her as unwilling to continue early morning work and suggesting she wanted to leave voluntarily. On Friday, it emerged unofficially that she had been summoned to a meeting with management. News spread quickly inside the newsroom, while bTV remained silent for most of the day.
In the evening, the broadcaster released a brief statement saying it was in dialogue with Tsantsarova about her future participation in programme development and insisting that claims she and Zlatimir Yochev had been dismissed were “categorically untrue”. At the same time, the Association of European Journalists called for a protest outside the bTV building. Journalists and citizens gathered in support of Tsantsarova, but no representative of the television came out to explain the decision.
Although bTV maintains that neither Tsantsarova nor Yochev has been fired, neither appeared on the morning show. The programme’s website confirms that until January 4 it will be hosted by Tsvetkov and Venkova on a rotating basis, without clarifying who will lead the show afterward. The situation effectively confirmed reports that the two were removed following management talks.
The case was first reported by “Capital”, while OFFNews cited internal information that the decision was communicated after Friday’s broadcast as a “managerial decision”. Despite official reassurances, the absence of both presenters from the screen has fueled criticism, protests, and questions about editorial freedom and transparency at one of Bulgaria’s major television networks.