HUNGARIAN-LANGUAGE SERVICE

Project realization: BETA (Belgrade) and Czaladi Kor (Novi Sad)

Kurzfassung auf Deutsch: Ungarischer Nachrichtendienst

Project description

BETA and the Novi Sad Hungarian-language newspaper Czaladi Kor in August, 2000, initiated a regional daily service in the Hungarian language. The objective of the project was to offer local radio and TV stations broadcasting in Hungarian quality and objective news from Vojvodina, Serbia, FRY and the region. The project was launched on the eve of the September presidential and parliamentary elections in Yugoslavia, covered the December elections for the Serbian Legislature, and remains active to this day.

Technical solutions were made by BETA and Czaladi Kor. BETA is electronically supplying the newspaper with a selection of the most important news of the day, which is then translated into Hungarian and distributed to clients. On the other hand, Czaladi Kor supplies BETA with important news from Vojvodina that the agency did not cover through its correspondents. The Czaladi Kor also sends in reviews of the Hungarian-language press, which offer a good insight into political views and activities in the province and which BETA then releases as part of its General Daily Service.

This project is the first business deal between a Serbian-language news organization from Serbia and a Hungarian-language news organization from Vojvodina. Thanks to this service the Hungarian-language media have easier access to prompt, objective and quality information on all events in the country, whereas BETA has better access to all events in Vojvodina and reports of the local Hungarian-language press.

During five months of 2000, this service was used by 10 media outlets, and BETA released over 100 reports from settlements in which ethnic Hungarians are a majority population. The project was supported as part of the Election Service by a group of donors in the second half of last year.

Strategy for the future

BETA and Czaladi Kor agreed to continue the project in 2001. The intention is to consolidate and expand the service to include other news organizations in Vojvodina, as well as Hungarian-language broadcasters and publications in parts of Hungary bordering on Yugoslavia. Owing to this service, Hungarian-speaking inhabitants of Vojvodina were informed of the operations of the Serbian legislature and federal parliament, of new legislation, economic trends in the country, and particularly of new ownership relations and finances.

This year the project is planned to include the organization of a correspondent network in predominantly ethnic Hungarian areas in Vojvodina, to supply news both to the Hungarian-Language Service and BETA's Daily Service.

In the first half of 2001, the service is planned for distribution free of charge to potential clients (media outlets and various organizations), by being accessible on BETA's and Czaladi Kor's Web sites. During this period BETA and Czaladi Kor will try to launch a joint marketing campaign to expand its clientele. BETA believes that Vojvodina's mostly impoverished broadcasters and publications need at least one year to consolidate their position and gain sufficient financial strength to subscribe to this service.

Specification of expenses:

In 2001 the Hungarian-Language Service would be promotional in nature, and it would be up to marketing to do most of the job by preparing a list of potential clients. The lowest monthly price for this service will be DM500 given at least 30 clients annually, so that proceeds in the area of DM 180,000 can be ensured. Such proceeds would cover all costs, and would provide BETA with more information from Vojvodina, thereby expanding the agency's offer. For Czaladi Kor the service means using its potentials to the fullest and some income. Later, BETA could expand the service with news from culture and sports, as well as photographs. BETA believes that a realistic period for stabilizing the service is three years.

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