Ruination of "Dnevnik", the oldest newspaper in Serbian language in Vojvodina

After the media group WAZ announced that it was leaving Serbia's media scene, the media were filled with reports on the Vecernje Novosti affair, while also mentioning that WAZ was also owned 55 percent of the "Dnevnik Vojvodina Press" (DVP) company, which publishes the oldest newspaper in Serbian language in Vojvodina, "Dnevnik" from Novi Sad. The remaining 45 percent are owned by the company "Dnevnik Holding" whose founder is the Assembly of Vojvodina. Majority share of "Dnevnik" has been owned by the German media group since the end of 2003.

Soon after the news about their exit from the Serbian market, WAZ has in June informed the representatives of "Dnevnik Holding" from Novi Sad about the forthcoming negotiations with interested parties on the sale of their 55 percent share in DVP. Representatives of the owners of DVP later met in Novi Sad in order to achieve an agreement on all issues that had been publicly and privately discussed during previous months, but negotiations failed. Representatives of "Dnevnik Holding" then announced their intention to sue the German company because of unpaid contractual obligations during the formation of the company and to initiate bankruptcy proceedings in the joint company "Dnevnik Vojvodina Press". In the words of the president of the Holding's Managing Board, Zlatimir Momirov, WAZ's debts have exceeded six million euros, since the company has not purchased a new printing machine nor repaired the old one, has not accepted 80 workers from the printing company, and has not fully implemented the social program. On the other side, WAZ said that they had not had much benefit from DVP because of insufficient circulation and profit.

At the same time, the Assembly of Shareholders of "Dnevnik Holding" decided to remove from position the director of DVP, Dusan Vlaovic, due to the sharp drop in the newspaper's circulation and increasing discontent of the editorial staff of "Dnevnik".

By the time this decision was made, "Dnevnik" had already been ruined, as was publicly announced by the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV). At the end of the last year, the Association stated that the editorial office had been without heating for weeks, that garbage had not been collected for days, and that the newspaper was being printed on obsolete and worn-out equipment... Journalists' salaries had not been increased for years and are mostly under 300 euros, while certain managers have up to 15 times larger salaries. The necessary number of employees was established in a disorderly manner, and in some cases senior editorial positions have been filled by persons who had previously left their jobs by mutual consent, after being given a severance pay. Open censorship has led to deep discontent of journalists, who are threatened with dismissal if they refuse to write as they are told. Due to all these factors, schooled and young journalists have left the newspaper, while among the remaining ones are many who prior to October 5th, 2000 had been willing servants to the notorious Milosevic's regime and creators of the hate speech. In November 2009, six months before WAZ announced its decision to exit "Dnevnik", the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) had protested against repeated attempts to introduce censorship in the newspaper and the disastrous financial position of the employees, and appealed on the majority and minority shareholders of "Dnevnik" – the WAZ company and the Assembly of Vojvodina – as well as on the media professionals to do something to stop the decline of "Dnevnik", whose tradition has a span of almost seven decades.

At the same time, while the editorial office was seething, employees of "Dnevnik Holding" were protesting for months because of unpaid wages, then initiated a strike, threw out the newly-appointed director, Jasmina Masulovic, from the building, and began a hunger strike that has recently ended after ten days of striking. Several weeks-long strike and the hunger strike ended after the workers met with company's managers and provincial administration in the premises of the Government of Vojvodina and signed the Protocol on Conclusion of the Strike and Beginning of Production. One of the ten delayed salaries has been paid, and another one has been promised to be paid soon. The Government of Vojvodina intends to sell one of the company's properties and buy a new printing press and raw materials.

At the moment of writing this text, it was not possible to predict when and to whom WAZ was going to sell its share in the DVP company, what would happen to the employees and the "Dnevnik" newspaper, when the old printing press would finally break down, and what would be the fate of "Dnevnik Holding", whose reorganization was ongoing. It is true that "Dnevnik Holding" has announced its intention to purchase a part of the WAZ's share in DVP, but the deal has not been made... The founder of Holding – the Assembly of Vojvodina has not publicly voiced any concern about the future of the oldest newspaper in the province. At the same time, there are rumors that the highly valuable building owned by Dnevnik in the city center – together with the newspaper – has been set aside for a tycoon from Novi Sad who has already been arrested and later freed.

Branislava Opranovic

About the authors

MC Newsletter, August 13, 2010