The First Steps of Croatian Public RTV

Interview with Mirjana Rakic, HRT News Editor

By Radenko Udovicic

The Law on the Croatian Radio-Television (HRT) was passed three months ago in Croatia, representing a significant step ahead in transforming this until recently state media into a public service serving all the citizens of Croatia. The solutions provided in the law reflect the European principles in regulation of the broadcasting domain. The major feature of the law is to place the HRT beyond the reach of the still deeply confronting political options in Croatia and to strike the foundations for its transparent and modern functioning modeled after the European standards. 

            A significant novelty in the law is that the HRT will be divided into three separate companies – the transmitters, the radio and the television. The law also provides that Channel 3 of the Television needs to be privatized within one year. TV commercials are limited down to 9 minutes per hour, which is significantly more than the European average for public televisions. However, this is a targeted move in order to allow for a major capital accumulation for the HRT in the very beginning. 

            After the new law is passed, this institution will be administered by the HRT Council consisting of 25 members. This is the first time that such a council does not include a single representative of any political parties. The director is not appointed by the parliament but by the Administrative Council, which is indeed appointed by the parliament, but it must consist of non-party people as members. 

            The mandatory subscription is not set at a fixed rate, but it amounts to 1.5 of the average salary in Croatia. At this moment, this amounts to 12.5 marks, which is significantly higher than in BH and in Yugoslavia. For example, the subscription in BH is 6 marks, in Montenegro it has been increased from 2.5 to 4 marks, while a couple of months ago the Serbian government cancelled the TV subscription in Serbia altogether. 

            In the meeting of televisions from SEE in Bar last month, Media Online interviewed Mirjana Rakic, HRT editor of the news and documentary programs, on the transformation of the HRT into a public service. The whole career of Mirjana Rakic has been connected to the Croatian Television, where she began working back in 1970, right after she had graduated from the university. During 1990 and 1991, Mirjana Rakic was editor of the television’s prime time news program. In 1994, she was appointed editor of foreign politics programs, whereas last year she became editor of the news and documentary programs. We asked Ms. Rakic, who had worked as editor under all the regimes of the past years in Croatia as editor, about the difficulties of the HRT transformation as well as this television’s visions and hopes.

            MediaOnline: Is the transformation of the Croatian Radio-Television into a public service towards its end?

            RAKIC: We are actually at a clear beginning, because the Law on the Croatian Television as a public television was adopted at the parliament only two months ago. However, it is not the delayed passing of the law that is a determinant for this beginning, but the law’s application in the practice too. First of all, we need to form the HRT Council and the Administrative Council, which then announces the vacancies for general director and editor-in-chief. These are two functions that will be publicly announced. After their appointment, they will further select the people to work with. 

            As for the law on the HRT as a public institution itself in general, it actually brings three major novelties. We will be becoming three separate entities – one being the transmitters, spinning out as a separate company, and the other two are the television and the radio, which are getting separated. This will primarily influence the future finances. Because, while we were together, everything was pulled out of a single bag and could be spilled over. And now, once they start doing business separately, it is a big question how all of this will function. At the same time, as far as we as the television are concerned, of course, we do claim rights to some of the transmitters. This segregation balance agreement should grant us some shares of stock or some discount in future use of the transmitters. So that we should not be buying transmitter services under the same terms as commercial stations. 

            Altogether, we now have some 3,500 people. The TV only has some 1,600 employees. Whether this is a lot or too little, I find it hard to tell you, because we need a detailed analysis of the house’s operations. We must have an appraisal of each single position. I believe we should engage an outsider to do it, who will not be biased in measuring how much each position brings or should bring. Thus we will know exactly how many people we have in excess and after that see about it with the trade union how to employ them or how to resolve this. 

            MediaOnline: So the legal grounds now do exist. However, everyone seems to agree that the problem lies in the minds of the people. Is there resistance for any reason in the HRT itself against the transformation into a public service? In addition, and in spite of the new law, is the government also trying to streamline the HRT in a specific direction?

            RAKIC: Anyone normal is clear about the fact that the law itself does not bring about change. You have to apply the loan. As for the influence of the politics, I believe that we are the leaders here in the region in terms of isolating politics from directly influencing the television. I am referring to our Council, consisting of 25 people coming from various social groups, from various civic associations, that is, from non-political segments. Neither the parliament nor the parties are exerting influence any longer. Only three people, and this is more honorifically, are appointed by the country’s president, prime minister and parliament president. But these too are non-party people. They have already appointed these three persons – one of them being the president of the literary association, and the other two having nothing to do with the politics either. 

            Thus, on the paper, we have formed a Council, which is non-political, and in a way it can influence the programs. Of course, it is the issue of personal affiliations of each individual and how this will reflect on the work of the Council itself. But at present we have a clear situation. 

            I do not harbor any illusions that everything will be immediately resolved once the law itself on the transformation of the HRT is passed, even once all the people are appointed. It is a function of the politics to fight for its own space, such as our function is to keep our space as neutral as possible. This is very important for us and this will provide us credibility. And a public television is exactly the one that should fight for its authenticity. The moment you step under the umbrella of one, other or some third side, the viewers tend to feel this. And most importantly, we have to cherish solidarity among journalists. You know, when striving for independence it is enormously important that we have good mutual relations. 

            MediaOnline: The Croatian Television is very popular in Bosnia even now. Until recently, we had the opportunity to watch all the three HRT channels. The situation is almost identical in the Republic of Srpska. The Western part of the RS can watch all the three channels even today and according to some surveys its ratings are side by side with their own state television. However, rounding up of the public broadcasting system in BH reduced the possibility to watch the HRT. Are there any plans in Zagreb to make the HRT available in BH to a larger extent again, at least through agreements with the local media here. Is there at all a department at the HRT involved in neighbor relations and marketing programs on similar or same language areas? 

            RAKIC: With the new law on the HRT as a public television, we get reduced down from three to two channels. One of our channels will be transferred to a private station through a public tender. I can not talk strategy now, because the new administration is being appointed. The question before the new administration is how to establish relations with the neighboring televisions. But thus far, we have exchanged programs with all possible world-wide stations and I see no reason now, if normal agreements are made, not to exchange programs with BH or Serbia as well. When you referred to the popularity of the program, I think the reason is that we still have this overwhelming greed for various information and news and we tend to keep believing that we have a lack of them, so that we want to see as much as possible, and then construct our own picture using our personal combinatorial skills. 

            MediaOnline: The problem of majority of the Southeast Europe televisions is shortage of money. What is the situation like now at the Croatian TV and could the new system fall into difficulties? Will the revenues from marketing and subscription be enough? Let me illustrate this question, recently a colleague from the HRT told me after the Eurosong Competition that they were praying to God that the Croatian song not be the winner, because the HRT would go bankrupt organizing this event. If Vana had won, would you have had the money to organize this? 

            RAKIC: You know, the ‘Eurosong’ Competition organization is not paid for by the station which gets to organize it. This is largely paid by the EBU. The Danes, who have organized it this time, have not allocated heaps of money for this event. This is simply financed from the EBU, and secondly, all of us pay for the live broadcasts. Just count how many countries broadcasted it live. So this is not a bill without coverage. 

            As for our financial condition, it is not quite blissful. We had inherited a considerable debt from the previous administration, but nevertheless we managed to resolve it and now we are at a break-even. So we are not in loss but we are not profitable either, which is horrifying for the program indeed, because there are restrictions there, which is again reflected on the quality. We have postponed some major projects until this fall so that we would start off, let me say, a bit stronger on with the winter schedule. We have a goal of developing the documentary programs, because this is the basis of a television. This is a format which needs the television on an almost exclusive basis and it can almost be presented nowhere else. We also need to expand on our correspondent network for the news programs. We may be investing into feature series to be on week by week, because the business must reflect current events. 

            I believe that we will finish this year off profitable given the current level of subscription and given the rather big efforts on the part of our marketing team, which has almost met the projected annual plan. And next year, we will have to fight on the market, primarily by selling our own production. It has to be high-quality and we are aware that we have to procure money to invest in order to raise the production quality. Our major problem is that we allocate huge amounts of money for salaries. This is suffocating us and it is there that we have to make redistribution, because the majority of funds have to go into the programs. 

Radenko Udovicic is editor-in-chief of the SAFAX news agency and news editor of Media Online. Translation by: B.R. ©Media Online 2001. All rights reserved. 
http://www.mediaonline.ba/mediaupite/upit3/tekstframe.htm?tekst=/mediaonline/tekst_eng/2742.htm&sifra=2742 

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