At agencies the quota depends not on surface area, as with newspapers, but on the contract and subscriber structure.
Two Separate Tiers
Art. 24 of the Press Card Regulation defines two different agency types:
| Agency type | Condition | Quota |
|---|---|---|
| General news/photograph agency | Documenting a news or photograph contract with a national newspaper or a national radio-television organisation, and at least five journalists on staff who have previously held a press card and work under Law No. 5953 | The owner or representative of the legal person plus eighteen employees |
| Commercial and economic news/photograph agency | Having one thousand paying subscribers and documenting at least five journalists on staff who have previously held a press card and work under Law No. 5953 | The owners or representatives of the legal persons plus thirteen employees |
The Common Denominator: Five Journalists
The same staffing condition is required at both tiers: at least five journalists on staff who have previously held a press card and work under Law No. 5953.
The Distinguishing Conditions
| Measure | General agency | Commercial/economic agency |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | A news/photograph contract with a national newspaper or national radio-TV | - |
| Subscribers | - | One thousand paying subscribers |
| Staff | Five journalists | At least five journalists |
| Quota | 18 employees + owner/representative | 13 employees + owner/representative |
| Foreign bureau | No cards issued | No cards issued |
The Outlet Conditions in Art. 16 Also Apply
The quota alone is not enough. Art. 16 requires four further conditions of agencies whose staff may be issued cards: regular publication, sending their work to the regional directorate within five days and transmitting it electronically to the Directorate, five journalists on staff, and a paid news sales contract with a national or regional periodical.
Anadolu Agency Has Its Own Article
Art. 23 sets a separate title list for Anadolu Agency and, in its second paragraph, a limit: no press card is issued to those not working in the news field at Anadolu Agency.
The list includes senior reporters, senior photojournalists, senior camera operators, senior graphic artists, senior editors and senior broadcasters, together with reporters, photojournalists, camera operators, graphic artists, editors, broadcasters and their assistants.
Compared with the Other Quotas
| Organisation | What sets the quota | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Daily political newspaper | Page surface area | Art. 19 |
| Magazine | Page count | Arts. 20-22 |
| News and photograph agency | Contracts or subscribers + staff | Art. 24 |
| Radio and television | The character of the broadcast | Art. 26 |
| Internet news site | The number of employees insured under Law No. 5953 | Art. 27 |
Summary
- Agencies with a contract with a national newspaper or national broadcaster and five journalists on staff get cards for the owner or representative plus eighteen employees.
- Commercial and economic agencies with a thousand paying subscribers get thirteen employees.
- In both cases no cards are issued to staff in foreign bureaux.