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DRINA RADIO NETWORK  

Kurzfassung auf Deutsch: Radionetzwerk DRINA

About five full years has passed since the war in Bosnia ended and peace process started being implemented as well as the process of reconciliation, repatriation of refugees and overall democratization of society in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH). Certain success has been achieved, but democracy is still far away from everyday lives of ordinary people.

Overall situation is much better than in earlier years, relations among the three constitutional peoples are significantly better than before, but real democratic BH is still far away.

New laws in BH bring new opportunities for market economy and private enterprise, but the largest capital is still owned by the state, with vague tendency towards privatisation. Even in cases of implemented privatisation, process is slow and favorable for financial tycoons and individuals who gained enormous profits during the war and in early post-war years. Ordinary people have no chance of participating as decision-making factor. Economic and financial flow is directed by economic pools controlled by war-profiteers of all ethnic bakcgrounds, who had lot of money and large property when the process of privatisation officially began. Dirty war money became main mass of money for import of profitable goods and export of raw materials to European and Asian markets.  Current economic establishment was formed in that way and fitted into new democratic trends. Their domination and monopoly in this small and poor market is tolerated by government institutions. Links between new tycoons and government officials are obvious, and those links caused many corruption scandals.

International community in BH tries to normalize society in its foundations and upon basic principles of democracy. However, activities of international community are often obstructed and sabotaged by local and government institutions. Most illustrative examples can be seen in the implementation of policy of repatriation of refugees, return of property to its rightful owners and process of reconciliation and establishment of trust.

Most fierceful disputes are in those fields, as well as numerous misunderstandings and disagreements. Numer of refugees who returned to their homes is purely symbolic as well as number of people who work on recovery of inter-ethnic trust. Most prominent example is the town of Srebrenica, where despite 4 years of multi-ethnic local government and two multi-ethnic local assemblies, number of repatriated refugees or household properties retunred to their owners is only symbolic.

Major causes for such situation are obstructions by both extremist Serbs and Bosnians. Ordinary Serbs and Bosnians could quickly understand each other and solve problems. However, political extremists are still dominant in society. Social coflicts and stagnation suit them. Extremists used conflict to build up their own political existence. Removal of conflicts would seriously jeopardize extremists.

Media scene in Republika Srpska is significantly better than it used to be several years ago. Many media have been launched in meantime, but their editorial policies are based upon entertainment content and rarely on information or educative programs.

Most media-owners try to gain profit from show-business, and few ty to provide picture of reality to their audiences.

Media that based their programming mostly on information and news are in difficult position. Almost all political parties and groups often accuse those media for something on political basis. There is no relevant news media that had no problems with extremists.

Our media were often accused of “inter-linking with enemies of the Serbs and spy organizations”, and of “working for dollars.” This propaganda against independent media was encouraged from Serbian secret police during the reign of the former regime there.

The Drina Network was founded in 1997 as a common programming network of five radio stations. The Network is managed by representatives from all stations. Its basic goal is to network stations and thus ensure their better position in information and marketing sectors.

Drina Network has 5 affiliates and we are waiting for the launch of another station (Radio MOST – Visegrad). Networks includes Radio PAN, Radio OSVIT, Radio PALMA, Radio MAGIC, Radio DRINA and central studio in Bijeljina. Central studio produces common network programs for all affiliates. Network programming also includes separate programs produced by individual affiliates. Central Internet server is located in the central studio and it enables existence of our internal network as well as access to global Internet. Editorial policy is in hands of each particular station, they are independent from each other. However, each affiliate respects certain basic principles of professional and responsible journalism. Those principles were defined by the Drina Network Programming Declaration, accepted by all affiliates. Central studio produces its own programming with participation of all affiliates according to the attached programming schedule. Drina Network programming includes both common network programs and programs produced by specific affiliates on one and the same frequency. Each station contributes with its own programs to programming broadcast from central studio. Besides, there is a bilateral horizontal exchange among affiliates themselves. Geographic area covered by the Drina Network includes whole eastern part of BiH and large part of western Serbia, as well as some parts of Croatia and Vojvodina. In biH, programming can be picked up both in Republika Srpska and in parts of Federation of BiH. Basic aim is to broadcast common programs on one frequency of the Drina Network, and strengthening of the network through this common programming. Strengthening is also supposed to include development of marketing / advertisement sector, because only a strong station can secure sufficient advertisement potential for itself in order to be self-sustainable.

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