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THE PLANNED ACTIVITIES
INDEPENDENT "RTV DRINA" IN 1997. YEAR
BOSNIA AND HERCEGOVINA
Skelani, februar 1997.g.
THE PRESENT SITUATION
The region of eastern Bosnia and Hercegovina has no developed independent informative
system. Even before the breaking out of the war in Bosnia, there was no dissonant media
voices in this region. We should keep in mind the fact that during the bombing ofthe NATO
air-forces in the course of the summer 1995, the main communicative centres on mountain
Majevica (eastern Bosnia) were destroyed resulting in no difusion on the radio and TV
signals of Republic Srpska in this region. The radio and TV stations from Pale and Banja
Luka cover this area with great difficulties, so these regions are covered by the local
radio programmes on the USW band. The audibility of the radio and TV signals from Sarajevo
and Tuzla has been made quite impossible, so that not one of the programmes either from
the capital or the BH Federation can be heard in eastern Bosnia.
In eastern Bosnia people can listen to a number of radio and TV stations from Serbia
which have been controlled by the governing party. During the war those programmes were
cunningly used as means of preparation of the population of both western Serbia and
eastern Bosnia for a war. We may say that during the war, the Drina river was the spine
bone of the informatively contaminated population and that eastern Bosnia and western
Serbia were absolutely under the blockade by the state media in Serbia. It was a reason
more why the most atrocious crimes and mass murders of the Serbs and the Muslims were
commited in these regions.
The only independent programme today that is heard in eastern Bosnia is the programme
of "The Radio of Bajina Basta" and it can be listened to on the territory of the
municipalities of Skelani, Srebrenica and Bratunac. Since it is located on the right band
of the river Drina, i.e. in Serbia, during the war this radio could work and develop its
independent function wihout greater difficulties.
Due to the fact that it has been connected to the professional associations of
Yugoslavia and Europe in time, this radio has been subjected to the international media
control, thus acquiring a certain degree of immunity in regard to its extreme opponents.
THE REGION
The region of eastern Bosnia encomasses the territory of the town Srbinje (former
Foca), the towns Gorazde, Visegrad, Rogatica, Sokolac, Han Pijesak, Vlasenica, Skelani,
Srebrenica, Bratunac, Milici, Zvornik, Tuzla, upto Bijelina in the north.
The first neighbouring towns across the bording river Drina in Serbia are: Prijepolje
(on the south), Priboj, Nova Varos, Uzice, Bajina Basta, Ljubovija, Valjevo, Mali Zvornik,
Loznica and Sabac (in the north).
The region of eastern Bosnia and western Serbia has its own outstanding historic,
political, ethnical and cultural characteristics and significance. Here are the most
important ones:
With its southern part this region borders on a very sensitive region in Serbia,
Sandzak, and even encomoasses three of its towns (Priboj, Prijepolje and Nova Varos). In
Bosnia, Gorazde is controlled by BH federation, and Tuzla has the same status in the
north. The Drina river has always been a big boarding river; ever since the time of the
Roman Empire this has been the border. Along the Drina ran the border line between the
western and the eastern Roman Empire. Later on, this river was the most western line of
the Byzantine state. In the more recent history, this river was to be a kind of a water
" Berlin Wall ", since, according to the terms of the peace treaty plans of the
Russians and the allies, it was here that the Russian military aphere on the right bank,
and the military sphere of the allies on the left bank were to be boarding. Further more,
there are four crucial cultural profiles of the Serbs and the Muslims which are confronted
in this region:
1. Sandzak is a region where the Muslims have been asking for their rights and a
certain degree of autonomy; its been situated in the region called The Old Vlach which is
considered by the Serbs The craddle of their culture and history. Because of this fact ,
there were great battles and wars waged here in the past hundred years. These antagonism
hasn`t been eliminated yet.
2. In eastern Bosnia theres been a predominant Romanija-Herzegovian myth about Serbian
brave men and knights which, even today, inspire the Serbs in their fighting the Muslims
and the Croats.
3. In the northern part of the Drina valley, which is more developed than the southern
one, industry, fashion and money are more present, so that the local population has
acquired some western manners. The important trade and Industy centres (Tuzla, Zvornik,
Bjeljina...) used to be the pillars of brotherhood and unity between the Serbs and the
Muslims and their intolerance in former Yugoslavija was not so evident; this shows us that
ethnical and racial intolerance can be overcome by breaking through of modern experince of
the world.
4. This region represents a connection line between the Serbs from Serbia and the Serbs
from Bosnia and shows characteristics of a political lackmus paper when the relationship
between Belgrade and Pale (Banja Luka) are considered. The southern part of the Drina
valley now represents a broken connection line of the Muslims from Bosnia and the Muslims
from Serbia which has also made the political climate here, even more difficult.
MOTIVES FOR THE PROJECT
A great number of inhabitants from both sides of the river is concentrade in this
region. It has become the target region of the ethnical migrations of the Serbs from
Bosnia , since it is in proximity of Serbia and because of the feeling of safety on the
border line with Serbia. In eastern Bosnia from North to South there has been a settling
of the Serbs from Sarajevo who will considerably change the demographic structure. The
above mentidned region, raging from Srbinja in the South to Bijeljina in the North has a
population of about 300.000 inhabitants, at the moment, while the region of western Serbia
has a population of about 800.000 inhabitants.
We estimate that in a region such as this one, there must be independent journalism
regarding the press, the radio and the television, and that this step is worth
undertaking. The reason to supporth this opinion are all the above mentioned
characteristics of these regions of western Serbia and eastern Bosnia.
"THE REGIONAL RADIO DRINA" IN 1997.
The indipendent radio station will be located in the small municipality of Skelani, in
the middle part of the Drina valley, the geographic heart of the region. The station will
start broadcasting a local experimental programme, and in the course of the year, it will
develop into a modern regional radio station. The programme will be broadcasted from the
studio in Skelani and it will be transmitted by link to the main transmitter on the peak
"Javorak 1098 metres" from where a projected audability in the Drina valley will
be acquired.
The programme will be broadcasted on the USW band, tending to broadcast on the AM band
as well. AM band is important for the covering of thr rural and country regions which can
not be easily reached by USW.
The programme will be brodcasted 12 hours at first, 18 hours later on, tending to last
24 hours a day. The conceptual programme will have the following contents:
- The informative programme: based on the news and supplements from the world,
ex-Yugoslavija, Bosna and Herzegovina and the towns in the Drina valley. The sources for
this informative programme will be the BBC World Service, the Voice of America, The Radio
Free Europe, Deutche Welle, the independent agencies from Sarajevo, Zagreb and Belgrade,
Reuter, the CNN, The Telegraph. The local network of reporters covers all the towns in the
zone of audability.
- The sports programme will be supplied from the domestic and foreign agencies, but it
will also cover the local sport events.
- Culture - services of different agencies plus the local reporters. Programmes of similar
nature and concept from the serbo-croat speaking area
- will be overtaken.
- Entertainment, local programmes, music etc.
RTV DRINA
General manager,
Mr. Boban Tomic
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P.O. Box, CH-8031
Zürich, Switzerland