ANEM WEEKLY MEDIA UPDATE

OCTOBER 6 - OCTOBER 12, 2001

• EQUIPMENT OF TELEVISION S FROM UZICE CONFISCATED

UZICE, October 6, 2001 ­ According to the ruling of the District Court in Belgrade, bailiffs followed by the police and the technicians from Radio Television of Serbia confiscated most of the technical equipment of the Uzice-based television station S on Friday.

Television S operates within the system of eight S Televisions, owned by the Socialist Party of Serbia, reported the correspondent of Radio B92 from Uzice.

Denis Beciric, the expert assistant of the District Court said that technical equipment worth 600,000 Deutschmark would be stored in Radio Television of Serbia until the court decision was reached.

He added that the equipment had been bought with the money taken from the Serbian government budget, although the money had been earmarked for buying the equipment for Radio Television of Serbia that had been destroyed during the NATO bombing campaign.

Nikola Gogic, coordinator of the S Television in Uzice, and the president of the branch organization of Socialist Party of Serbia in Uzice, said that the confiscation of the technical equipment was a first-rate scandal, noting that it was not a coincidence that the confiscation took place on October 5.

• TV PIROT DENIES RTS ACCUSATIONS

PIROT, October 6, 2001 ­ The general director of Radio Television of Serbia, Aleksandar Crkvenjakov, accused Television Pirot of jamming the broadcasting of the Third Channel of the state-run television in the region of Pirot and Dimitrovgrad, and said that that television was broadcasting illegally.

“Television Pirot started broadcasting in the 31st channel only after the new transmitter for our Third Channel started to function, which uses the aforementioned channel as its receiving frequency,” Crkvenjakov maintained.

In his statement for Radio B92, Momcilo Djurdjic, deputy director of the Public Company Sloboda, whose affiliate is Television Pirot, denied what Crkvenjakov said: 

“We were in the situation in which the communists’ TV Pink usurped the frequency of the Third Channel for two years in Pirot, and nobody had any objections to that.  One year ago, Radio Television of Serbia signed a contract with the BK Television, according to which the BK Television was moved to the 39th channel, while for the whole previous year Television Pirot broadcast in the 40th channel.  That means that they jammed our signal.  We moved our broadcasting to the 31st channel, while at the same time paying attention to the possibility that the signal of the Third Channel can be received from Jastrebac in some other frequency.  If Radio Television of Serbia could put up with a communists’ television usurping the frequency of the Third Channel of the state-run Television for two years, then they can receive this signal from the transmitter in Jastrebac, while respecting the technical rules, and then nobody would have any problem whatsoever.  In fact, we can reach an agreement about everything, but is it extremely unfair that the inspectors from the Federal Ministry for Telecommunications appear in a Television which have been closed down twice in the Milosevic regime, and to try to close it down again,” Djuric said.

The Federal Ministry for Telecommunications tried to stop broadcasting of the programmes of Television Pirot on Wednesday, October 3, saying that this television station has functioned without the necessary licenses.  Television Pirot is a member station of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM).

• GERMAN MEDIA CONCERN CO-OWNER OF POLITIKA

BELGRADE, October 6, 2001 ­ Politika Joint Stock Company and the media concern West Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung have signed a statement on establishing a joint firm.

Politika stated that 50 percent of the stock and the editorial management remained with Politika, while the German concern would get 49 percent of the stock capital and provide the necessary financial means.

The contract comprised only the printed publications of this media organization, while Radio Television Politika, as a separate media organization, remained outside from this contract.

The final version of the contract between the two companies will be signed by the end of this year.

• RTS STRIKE ANNOUNCED

BELGRADE, October 6, 2001 ­ The Radio Television of Serbia Union Nezavisnost announced on Friday that they would go on a warning strike October 16 unless the Serbian Government raises salaries at the state-run media organisation.

At a meeting of about two hundred employees held in front of the building of Radio Television of Serbia on Aberdareva Street, on the occasion of the first anniversary of last October's democratic changes, one of the representatives of the Union, Boban Igrutinovic, read six demands sent to the Government: 

“Synchronization of the salaries of the employees of the Radio Television of Serbia with the salaries of the employees in the other public companies, the average value of which must be synchronized with the value of the average monthly expenditures of the four members family in the Republic of Serbia, and that accounting must be applied in calculating the salaries for September, regulating of a stable way of providing funds for functioning of Radio Television of Serbia, which would satisfy the first demand,.  We then demand that the union become a partner to the Government in the process of preparing the Broadcasting Act, and that the Broadcasting Act be adopted according to the emergency procedure, solving of the problem with the technical capacities of Radio Television of Serbia which were destroyed during the past years in the well-known events, allowing changes to the system and human resources at Radio Television of Serbia in order for the media organization to finally free itself from the employees that sullied its reputation, and the retirement of all the five members of the Board of Directors of Radio Television of Serbia from their working activities.”

The participants of the meeting concluded that the time limit for starting the negotiations would be seven days, and that the deadline for meeting the first demand would expire in ten days.

• ROMA TELEVISION NISAVA BANNED

NIS, October 7, 2001 ­ The federal telecommunication inspector imposed a ban on the operation Nis-based  television station Nisava, the only Roma electronic media in Yugoslavia.  

Boban Nikolic, the secretary of Bahtalodrom, the association of Roma whose affiliate television Nisava is, and who is the organizer of this media organization, gave more details on this information, by saying that the federal inspector imposed the ban on September 20, with the explanation that it did not have the licence for broadcasting and the licence for use of the frequency.

“Since the Telecommunication Act is still in the phase of preparation, and since there has not yet been a competition for frequency allocation, it is only logical that we do not have a licence for broadcasting.  For the same reason about 95 percent of the electronic media in Serbia, and there are around one thousand of them, broadcast their programmes without the broadcasting licence.  Television Nisava is the first electronic media in Serbia that has been banned by the new government, and some time later on they did the same thing to Television Pirot.  It is our impression that the ban for Television Nisava was imposed because it was the only Romany radio in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.  We maintain that this is a violation of human rights, and that because besides news programmes we broadcast programmes about the culture and tradition of the Roma community, we believe that it is also the case of an attempt to make the Roma lose their identity and be assimilated within the majority of the population,” Nikolic said. 

• CONGRESS OF THE UNITED GUILDS’ UNION NEZAVISNOST

BELGRADE, October 8, 2001 ­ The Third Congress of the Guilds’ Union Nezavisnost re-elected current United Guilds’ Unions Nezavisnost president Branislav Canak.

Besides discussing the new statute and some other congressional documents, congress delegates adopted the Resolution on the Privatization of the Media, the Petition for Redressing of Injustice, the Resolution on Transformation of the Media System, the Resolution on the Freedom of the Media, and the Declaration on Reforms.

In the adopted Resolution on Transformation of the Media System, the members of the Union demanded a new media law, affirmation of the free journalism, protection of journalists, unrestricted flow of information, and the complete autonomy of the journalists and their editing committees.

Delegates emphasised the right of union activists to participate in the public debates on the media regulations.

In their Resolution on the Media Privatization, they expressed the expectation of the Union that the conditions would be made during the process of the privatization for the journalists to make it possible for them under certain conditions to become the owners of the whole, or of a part of the capital, but they also pointed out their demand for a clearer definition of the controlling role of the union and of the mechanisms through which that control was to be made.

In the Demand for Redress of the Injustice, delegates demanded the Serbian Government make up for the financial losses of media employees due to their resistance during the previous regime.

• KAREL TURZA APPOINTED FOR THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

BELGRADE, October 8, 2001 ­ Since the former editor-in-chief of the Third Programme of Radio Beograd, Slobodan Divjak, did not submit his application for the competition, the editing committee decided to unanimously support the candidacy of Karel Turza, editor of the Scientific Programmes Editing Committee for the position of editor-in-chief. 

The Radio Beograd's Third Programme editing committee told press that Turza had unquestionable professional and specific media qualities, and expressed their conviction that the qualities of the candidate and the support that he enjoyed among his colleagues were decisive in the process of reaching concensus on the choice of the editor-in-chief.

• CHANGES IN BK TELEVISION

BELGRADE, October 9, 2001 ­ BK Television editor-in-chief Srdjan Djuric submitted his resignation and the BK TV News Programmes editor Ivan Radovanovic quit after journalist Milomir Maric was appointed as Djuric's replacement.

Djuric said that the position of director of BK Television had been offered to him, but that he hadn’t wanted to hide behind that title. 

“Eight months ago I took the job of the editor-in-chief of the Television that viewers believed the least, and today this is the television with the biggest number of viewers in Serbia, at least according to all the polls,” Djuric said.

He said that he didn’t agree with the decision to leave the position of editor-in-chief to the man who had not participated in that professional and honourable work. 

New BK Television editor-in-chief Milomir Maric said that he would try not to be in the way of the people who worked there.

“I have never worked in a television, I know something about newspapers, and I will probably learn something there, since that is the best television.  I have always been removed from my offices, and I have never been appointed to any position, so I will try to work, and at the same time not to be in the way too much,” Maric said.

To protest Maric's appointment as editor-in-chief, News Programme editor-in-chief Ivan Radovanovic quit.

Radovanovic told B92 that he came to that decision for many reasons:

“One of the reasons is the fact that Djuric invited me to accept that position.  I made an agreement with him about the way in which we would work and what we would do.  I had no reason to stay there when he left to work with somebody I have never agreed with about anything.  The second reason is that I am convinced that the present policy of the owner of that media organization makes something that I do not like in the professional sense.  The man looks at that television as a means through which he can deal in politics.  This is his right, since that is his own television, but I do not possess enough professional qualifications for that,” Radovanovic said. 

• RTS EDITOR NOMINATION PROCESS DRAGS TOWARD CONCLUSION

BELGRADE, October 9, 2001 ­ Radio Television of Serbia Board of Directors President Dejan Mijac, confirmed yesterday for FoNet news agency that the board would determine the matter of RTS editorial positions for which the competition had been repeated in the meeting that would be held the next day.

“I cannot tell you all the names of the people that applied for the competition, because there are many candidates,” Mijac said. 

He repeated the information that the competition was concluded the moment the general director and the Board of Directors agree about the most acceptable candidate.  After that, the appointments will be complete.

Mijac responded to the question about the identity of the new editor-in-chief of the News Programmes of Radio Television of Serbia by saying: “I do not know, and even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you.”

According to the sources close to the management of Radio Television of Serbia, seven candidates had applied for the position of editor-in-chief of the News Programmes, and some of them were the candidates that had already submitted their applications for the previous competition, and some were new to the competition.

FoNet learnt from the same source that the candidate for the position of editor-in-chief of the Second Programme of Radio Beograd was the former acting director of Radio Beograd, Jovan Arezina.

Two candidates applied for the repeated competition for the position of editor-in-chief of the Third Programme of Radio Beograd ­ the former editor of the editing committee for the scientific programmes of this Programme, Karel Turza, and the former editor-in-chief of the Second Programme, Djordje Malavrazic. 

• MILANOVIC CASE CONTINUES

BELGRADE, October 9, 2001 ­ The court proceedings against former Radio Television of Serbia director Dragoljub Milanovic will continue today in the District Court in Belgrade, presided over by judge Radmila Dragicevic Dicic.

Milanovic has been charged with accountability for the deaths of sixteen Radio Television of Serbia, employees because he did not enforce the order to displace the human and technical resources during the NATO bombing campaign.  He is also charged with abusing his authority.

The court proceedings will be closed for general public today, because the document “Order 37” will be mentioned, which is considered to be the military secret, according to the decision of the judges on the case.

“Order 37” contains the command that the technical and human resources be transferred out of the affected Radio Television of Serbia building.

The judges of the case reached the decision in the beginning of the court proceedings that the main part of the trial would be available for the general public, but that the decision about the exclusion of the general public from the trial would be reached according to the future needs and the suggestions of the political parties.

Milanovic’s lawyers objected to this proposal.

• CITIZENS OF PRIBOJ LEFT WITHOUT CABLE TELEVISION

PRIBOJ, October 9, 2001 ­ The inhabitants of the new district of Priboj have the necessary equipment for the cable television installed, but they have been prevented from watching it since the technical failure that took place a year and a half ago.

In the technical department of the Information Centre, which is the owner of the cable distribution system, the responsible authorities maintained that they still lacked have the necessary financial means to repair the failure.

The distributor's failure to repair its equipment means that the majority of the owners of the cable television equipment have been unable to watch the cable television channels for eighteen months, a service for which they had paid 110 German marks at the time.

• VUCINIC LEADS RADIO TELEVISION CRNA GORA

PODGORICA, October 9, 2001 ­ The former secretary general of the Montenegrin Government, Miodrag Vucinic, will soon take over the leading position in Radio Television Crna Gora, Montenegrin electronic media reported today.

The source said that Vucinic would be appointed as the acting director of Radio Television Crna Gora.

The former director of Radio Television Crna Gora, Goran Rakocevic was chosen for the position of media adviser for the Montenegrin Prime Minister.

• RTS AND TELEVISION PIROT REACH AGREEMENT

PIROT, October 9, 2001 ­ Radio Television of Serbia and Television Pirot agreed yesterday that a technical solution would be reached which would allow the citizens of Pirot and the surrounding area to receive all three channels of Radio Television of Serbia, the programmes of BK Television, Pink Television, as well as of the local television stations Pirot and Pi Channel.

The acting director of the News Public Company Sloboda, whose affiliate Television Pirot is, said yesterday after a meeting with the general director of Radio Television of Serbia, Aleksandar Crkvenjakov that it had been agreed that nobody would jam the others in broadcasting their programmes.

Nesic also told Radio Pirot that the Federal Ministry for Traffic and Telecommunications supported that agreement the previous day.

• "I WAS A GREATER VICTIM," STATE MEDIA DIRECTOR TELLS COURT

BELGRADE, Tuesday - Serbia's former state television director has denied responsibility for the deaths of sixteen employees during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. 

During his trial in the Belgrade District Court, Dragoljub Milanovic said he had become the victim of a "witch hunt" since NATO targeted the Radio Television-Serbia building two and a half years ago.  Mounting his defence, Milanovic claimed he was a far greater victim than the families of the state media workers could imagine, saying he had left the building just 36 minutes before the strike.

"Fate did not want me to stay there and I am cursing it today, because I would have been spared the sorrow and the shame," he argued. 

His accusers have used the same coincidence of timing as proof that Milanovic and other senior executives had been forewarned of the attack. 

The families of the victims have persistently alleged that the employees were deliberately sacrificed to provide anti-NATO propaganda. 

Milanovic has been charged on the basis he failed to act on "Order 37" under which the human resources and equipment of RTS were to be moved from the central Belgrade premises to the outer suburb of Kosutnjak. 

The former director claims the move would have jeopardised their security even further. 

The trial is due to resume on October 29.

• THE SEVENTH VERSION OF THE DRAFT BROADCASTING ACT

BELGRADE, October 10, 2001 ­ The seventh version of the Draft Broadcasting Act was presented on Tuesday in Media Centre to go through another phase of public debate before entering the adoption procedure.

As Rade Veljanovski, one of the members of the Work Group for preparation of the Act, said the most important new feature was the establishment of the independent regulatory body.

The newly formed Broadcasting Council of Serbia, which was made up of nine members, will have the most important authorities concerning the process of frequency allocation, and it will also monitor the work of the media. The members of the Broadcasting Council will be appointed by the Serbian Parliament.

The Serbian government, the deans’ conference, the Chamber of Economy, workers’ unions, non-governmental organizations that deal in protection of minorities, film artists’ and actors’ associations, Academy of Sciences, and journalists associations will each propose one member of the Broadcasting Council.

While speaking about the provisions that prescribe who cannot be a member of the Broadcasting Council, and expressing his support for the proposed Draft Act, deputy prime minister Zarko Korac pointed out the following: 

“It is explicitly forbidden that the members of the Broadcasting Council become the officials of the political parties, presidents of the political parties, members of the parties’ governing bodies, their deputies, members of the executive and main Boards of the parties, as well as all the other party officials.  A member of the Broadcasting Council can become a member of the political party, but that is a broad definition.  I can speak for myself, as a member of the Government, and I support their idea that this body should be independent.”

• BOJANA LEKIC BECOMES RTS NEWS PROGRAMME EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

BELGRADE October 10, 2001 ­ The Radio Television of Serbia Board of Directors unanimously selected Bojana Lekic on Tuesday as the new editor-in-chief of the News Programmes of Radio Television of Serbia.

Radio Television of Serbia published the information that Petar Jovanovic was appointed director of Radio Television Novi Sad, while Milovan Nedeljkov was appointed editor-in-chief of the News Programmes of that Television.

Karel Turza was appointed editor-in-chief of the Third Programme of Radio Beograd, while Aleksandar Grujic was appointed editor-in-chief of the Programmes in Serbian of Radio Novi Sad. 

• CANAK GOES ON RAMPAGE AGAINST BELGRADE, RTS

NOVI SAD, October 10, 2001 ­ To protest the Radio Television of Serbia Board of Directors' decision yesterday to appoint Petar Jovanovic as the director of Television Novi Sad, Vojvodina’s Parliament president Nenad Canak sharply criticised politicking at the state-run media outfit.

On learning of the move by Radio Television-Serbia, Canak sped to the Radio Television-Vojvodina studios, tore down the RTS signs and began stamping on them.  "I will no longer allow Belgrade to step all over Vojvodina," he yelled. 

On his orders, the RTS logo was removed from both Novi Sad TV channels. 

"This broadcaster will be managed by people chosen by the Vojvodina Assembly.  Let them appoint their own managements in Belgrade," said Canak. 

Radio Television Serbia director Aleksandar Crkvenjakov said today that the company's management committee included representatives of the northern province, and claimed that Canak's anger was a matter of party politics. 

Choosing between two candidates for the senior editor in Vojvodina, the committee appointed a Novi Sad journalist, rather than Aleksandar Kravic, a member of Canak's party, confirmed Crkvenjakov. 

Following the overthrow of the former regime, Serbia's new ruling coalition agreed to allow the country's northern province to appoint its own television board, until the final status of RTV Novi Sad is resolved.

• WILL THE EMPLOYEES OF TANJUG GO ON STRIKE?

BELGRADE, October 10, 2001 ­ The employees of Tanjug who are members of the Independent Workers’ Union and the Workers’ Union Nezavisnost appealed yesterday to the Federal Government to accept their invitation for the emergency negotiations about the ownership transformation and the financial situation of this news agency and of its employees.

“Certain private news agencies are being given the preferential treatment, while some individuals from the government have been planning to bring Tanjug in the state of bankruptcy, and to take over its assets then,” they wrote in the Unions’ statement.

The representatives of the Tanjug employees demanded that the negotiations start within the period of ten days, and if that didn’t happen, the workers’ unions of Tanjug announced that they would use all the means available to the union to achieve their aim. 

• EXECUTIVE COUNCIL REJECTS RTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS' DECISION

NOVI SAD, October 11, 2001 ­ The Executive Council of Vojvodina recommended the province’s Parliament rejects the Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) Board of Directors' decision about the appointment of director and of the editor-in-chief of the News Programmes of Radio Television of Novi Sad.

In the official statement issued after the meeting, the Executive Council of Vojvodina announced its members had a proposal for the possible solution regarding the status of Radio Television of Novi Sad, which they sent to the province’s Parliament for adoption.

Although it had been announced that the meeting of the leaders of the Vojvodina’s Parliament and of Television Novi Sad would be held Wednesday evening, the meeting was not held.

According to Radio B92, financing for Television Novi Sad will be discussed at this meeting.

Vojvodina Parliament president Nenad Canak announced that the Serbian deputy prime minister Zarko Korac and finance minister Bozidar Djelic will represent the Serbian government, although the members of the Novi Sad delegation had not managed to contact Djelic.

The whole story has been additionally complicated by the act of the province’s Information Minister’s deputy, Nicifor Todorovic, who, as it turned out, on his own initiative, and without previously informing the other members of the Executive Council supported the appointments of the management of Television Novi Sad.

• RTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS ON RADIO TELEVISION NOVI SAD

BELGRADE, October 11, 2001 ­ The Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) Board of Directors President Dejan Mijac said Wednesday that the actions of Nenad Canak, the president of the Vojvodina Parliament, regarding the appointment of the editor-in-chief of Radio Television of Novi Sad, represented a direct attack on the freedom of information.

“There can be no stories about Vojvodina, about robbing Vojvodina.  All that rage, all that irrational behaviour, was provoked by one thing only, and that was the fact that they felt the ban on the brutal incursion into the sphere of the media, in the same way it happened in the times of Milosevic,” Mijac said in the press conference.

Board vice-president Aleksandar Mandic added that Canak’s behaviour was outside the sphere of common sense.

“The incident that took place yesterday evening in Radio Television of Novi Sad was a criminal action.  What would happen if Seselj came and broke the board of Radio Television of Serbia?  He would probably get arrested,” Mandic said.

RTS general director Aleksandar Crkvenjakov pointed out that the separation of Radio Television Novi Sad from the system of Radio Television of Serbia was not under dispute, but rather Canak's behaviour when he smashed a stick on the table and took his gun in the building of Radio Television Novi Sad.

Responding to the announcement that Vojvodina’s Parliament would discuss the financing of Radio Television of Novi Sad on the next day, Crkvenjakov said that that decision, if it was be reached, would be against the law.

Crkvenjakov added that the security and legal departments would decide whether a criminal charge should be brought against Canak.

• KOSTUNICA'S PARTY ON BK TV, RTV NOVI SAD

BELGRADE, October 11, 2001 ­ The Democratic Party of Serbia said that the result of the changes in the editorial team of BK Television did not represent an attempt to make the work of that media organization more professional but rather the effect of the influence of the politics on the media.

“The result of the latest decision from BK Television has been the cruel trade in which the pledge on one side is reduction of one’s obligation on the grounds of the extra profit tax, and on the other side strengthening of the political influence of one political party,” the Democratic Party of Serbia wrote in their statement.

The President of the BK Group, Bogoljub Karic, did not want to comment on the abovementioned assessments of Democratic Party of Serbia on Tuesday evening.

He told Radio B92 that BK Television would organize a press conference by the end of that week, to explain the latest staffing changes.

The Democratic Party of Serbia responded to  Vojvodina Parliament president Nenad Canak's actions at the Television Novi Sad station: 

“Having in mind that it was all about an act with the elements of an criminal action, aimed against a republic institution with the utmost importance, the Democratic Party of Serbia would like to ask the Government when would they sanction such behaviour, and what they would undertake in order to protect the assets of Radio Television of Serbia,” the party said.

• LEKIC: I'M OUTSIDE POLITICS

BELGRADE, October 11, 2001 ­ The new editor-in-chief of the News Programmes of Radio Television of Serbia, Bojana Lekic, said that she was not a candidate that had been supported by any political party, and that nobody could expect that she would take sides with one or the other side.

“The fact that I was accepted unanimously speaks for itself that there will be neither political pressures, nor that the other side, whoever that might be, believes that the first side would succeed in doing that,” Lekic told Belgrade daily Blic Thursday.

Lekic added she would give her best in order to regain the lost confidence of the viewers in Radio Television of Serbia, and to influence the donors from abroad who promised their support in order that that state-run media begin to function in a professional manner.

• DJURIC: POLITICS TRIUMPH AT BK

BELGRADE, October 11, 2001 ­ The former editor-in-chief of BK Television, Srdjan Djuric, told FoNet on Wednesday that he had seen a pack of lies concerning his alleged departure from BK Television, beginning with media rumours that he only submitted his resignation, that he had not quit as editor-in-chief, and then that he had only gone on vacation.

Djuric added that he was tired of reporting on the events in the USA and in Afghanistan. 

“Their explanations are fairly pathetic,” Djuric added and pointed out to the “bashfulness” of certain media and his colleagues in the way in which they had reported on the case of direct taking over of the influential BK Television by one centre of political power.

Commenting on the chronological sequence of the events in BK Television during the last several days, Djuric reminded us that he had given both his resignation and his notice of resignation on Monday to the owner of the BK Television personally.

“I did that because I do not consent to deal in the journalism that speaks in favour of one political party, on behalf of one group of people, or on behalf of one interest group,” Djuric added.

“I did not accept the position of director that had been offered to me, because by doing so I would give the legitimacy to the new editor-in-chief, who is, by the way, a close friend of the man who stands behind all this,” he explained.

• RADIO TELEVISION NOVI SAD INVESTIGATION

NOVI SAD, October 12, 2001 ­ The first part of the meeting of Vojvodina's Parliament was ended Thursday.

Vojvodina MP's established a Special Commission to investigate the facts about the incidents surrounding the controversial appointments of the leading positions at Radio Television Novi Sad.

The Commission will also investigate the behaviour of the President of the Parliament, Nenad Canak, regarding the events in this media organization, which most of the deputies described as unsuitable.

The initiative for establishing of the Special Commission before the Democratic Party was made by MP Predrag Filipov. 

• PROTEST AGAINST THE BAN ON RADIO TELEVISION NISAVA

PARIS, October 12, 2001 ­ The organization Reporters Without Frontiers wrote a letter to Serbian telecommunications minister Marija Raseta Vukosavljevic condemning the administrative ban on Radio Television Nisava, which had been established by the Romany community in Nis.

"That ban is brutal and unjustified, the more so because the process of administrative regulation of existence and the process of obtaining the legal license for that media organization had already begun," Reporters Without Frontiers secretary general Robert Menare wrote.

Since the Serbian telecommunications minister signed the order to shut down Radio Television Nisava, Reporters Without Frontiers demanded that she reconsidered her decision.

Raseta Vukosavljevic should give another chance to one of the rare media providing programming for Roma in the Balkans to function, Merdare concluded. 

• NUNS, ET AL SUPPORT AN RTV NOVI SAD INDEPENDENT FROM RTS

BELGRADE, October 12, 2001 ­ The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) and the Association of Serbian Journalists expressed their general support for the stand of politicians from Vojvodina on the need of returning the authorities over Radio Television of Novi Sad to the Parliament of Vojvodina.

The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia said the conflict in Radio Television of Serbia, which had originated from the appointments of the new management of Radio Television Novi Sad, was the proof of the unacceptable influence of the political parties over Radio Television of Serbia.

The Association of Journalists of Serbia said the decisions of the Radio Television of Serbia Board of Directors were legitimate because Radio Television Novi Sad was a constituent part of Radio Television of Serbia, but that the possibilities of returning the authorities over Radio Television Novi Sad to its founder, the Parliament of Vojvodina, should be considered without further delay.

• PEOPLE’S PARTY PRAVDA SUPPORTS THE CHOICE OF BOJANA LEKIC

BELGRADE, October 12, 2001 ­ The People’s Party Pravda (Justice) said Bojana Lekic's appointment as the editor-in-chief of the Radio Television of Serbia News Programmes gave the party a great hope that the national television, for the first time since it was founded, would inform the citizens of Serbia objectively and in time, without the pressures from the sphere of politics.

The members of this party assessed that the entire process of democratisation of the society was mirrored in the work of the national television, and that the name of Bojana Lekic presented a guarantee of the future objective informing, but also a great obligation and responsibility.

• NADA KOLUNDZIJA: "CANAK IS NOT THE ONLY ONE RESPONSIBLE"

BELGRADE, October 12, 2001 ­ The Democratic Alternative party vice president Nada Kolundzija said yesterday that Vojvodina Parliament president Nenad Canak was not the only one responsible for the incident in Television Novi Sad, but that those who had made the mistake and who had appointed the management of that Television without the previous consultations with the authorities in Vojvodina were to be held accountable, too.

She added that it was possible to solve the problem by returning the authorities over to Vojvodina, and that there shouldn’t be any stalling about that.

“Vojvodina has been ignored completely on the occasion of appointments made in Television Novi Sad, which objectively provoked the reaction of Nenad Canak,” Kolundzija said at a press conference organized by the DAN coalition, which includes her party.

Kolundzija said that the mistake consisted of the fact that there had been no discussions before the appointments of the director and of the editor-in-chief of Television Novi Sad were made, but that everything had been done from only one centre, like in the past.

source: ANEM
published by: Roland Brunner rbr@medienhilfe.ch date of release on this site: 17-10-2001

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