The only monthly newspaper in Leskovac, Panorama, will be closed down because of very high printing costs and low circulation. The circulation dropped from initial 3,000 to only 1,000 copies, with too many unsold copies, announced the editorial office of the newspaper.
(Pregled, NUNS, 14.10.2011)

The only daily newspaper in Serbian language in Novi Sad (apart from Dnevnik), Nacionalni Gradjanski, was closed down because of financial losses. The editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Milorad Bojovic, said that "the only genuine opposition newspaper was going to end its operations – the only newspaper that used to report about topics avoided by other newspapers. This fact led to the lack of advertisers and the closure of the newspaper."
(UNS, 14.10.2011, Vecernje Novosti - Vojvodina, 15.10.2011, ASMEDI Newsletter, October 2011)

Employees of TV Avala have not received their salaries for five months. Out of protest, the refused to produce the news at 14.00 on Wednesday. The editor-in-chief of the station, Bojana Lekic, says that the employees are being paid: "That's not true, they have received their salaries. The news was not aired due to technical problems and a human error that I have recognized as justified".
(Press, 22.10.2011)

According to estimation of the Tabu magazine based on official data, in the last year in Serbia around half billion euros was invested in advertising via the media, creation of advertising content, and market research. However, marketing experts estimate that much more money is being invested in advertising each year – no less than around a billion euros. The largest revenue has been achieved by specialized companies for planning and purchase of the advertising space – around 140 million euros. They are followed by commercial radio and TV stations (without taking into account the public service broadcasters RTS and RTV) with around 102 million euros. The third place is held by market communication agencies (around 95 million euros).
(PressOnline, 19.10.2011)

Daily newspaper Blic has launched a campaign to promote daily content at locations in all parts of the city of Belgrade. The campaign represents an innovative approach to the use of LED displays in the field of daily promotion of products. The Ringier Axel Springer company has used the same basic principle to support the campaign by promoting content on national TV stations.
(ASMEDI Newsletter, October 2011)

The employees of the printing section of Dnevnik Holding have announced that they are "forced to radicalize" their protest and accused the provincial government – the founder of the company – of failure to fulfill their promises.
(Danas, Dnevnik, NUNS, ANEM, 17.10.2011)

Three trade union organizations within Dnevnik Holding organized a protest because of their dissatisfaction with the situation in the media company. The protest walk to the building of the Government of Vojvodina has not been fruitful – not a single official received the protesters. Dnevnik Holding and the printing department employ 270 workers.
(Danas, Dnevnik, ANEM, NUNS, Pravda, Pregled, 21.10.2011)

Dnevnik Holding employees have organized a new protest walk to the building of the Government of Vojvodina. They demand payment of unpaid salaries and that the situation in the company be improved. (Pravda, 25.10.2011)

The Provincial Secretary of Labor, Employment and Gender Equality, Miroslav Hasin, met with the management and representatives of the trade union of the company Dnevnik Holding, which is on strike. At the meeting, it was agreed to hold a session of the Managing Board of Dnevnik Holding on Wednesday, 26 October. The session will be attended by the management of the company and by the representatives of the company's two trade unions, with the aim to agree on specific solutions for all of the problematic issues.
(UNS, Dnevnik, 25.10.2011)

According to the Stabilization and Association Agreement, Serbia is obliged to end any direct funding of media outlets from the state budget. The Assistant Minister of Culture for the Media, Dragana Milicevic Milutinovic, said to Blic that all the obligations stipulated by the adopted media strategy and action plan would be fulfilled.
(Blic, NUNS, 14.10.2011)

The Commission for Protection of Competition has rejected the request for media concentration submitted by the Austrian company OST Holding Suedosteuropa GmbH (which is a part of VAC), it was published on the web site of the Commission. The request for acquisition of 62.4 percent of stocks of the company Novosti via the acquisition of the total ownership share of three foreign companies, shareholders of OST Holding (Trimax Investments, Ardos Holding and Karamat Holding) has been rejected because of the lack of the necessary proof of legal basis.
(Pregled, 18.10.2011)

Businessman Milan Beko has not made an offer for purchase of the remaining 37.5 percent of the capital of Novosti, a company which is owned by the government of Serbia and small stockholders. The deadline for submission of offers has expired by the end of September. At the same time, he has not sold his 62.4 percent share, despite the fact that he is required by law to sell his ownership share if he was unable to purchase 100 percent of the company. Therefore the company Novosti will continue to be managed by the state, which is the largest individual owner with 36.6 percent of the company capital. Milan Beko was punished in July of this year after it became know that he was the majority owner. He was stripped of his right to manage the capital of the media company above the ownership share of 25 percent, although he owns 62.4 percent of the company's stocks.
(Pravda, ANEM, NUNS, 20.10.2011)

At a recently held session, the Managing Board of the Media Association has adopted a concept of a promotional campaign organized by the print media with the aim to present to the wide-ranging public and business community all the advantages of advertising on pages of daily newspapers and magazines. A series of creative solutions and an outline of the campaign were presented to editors and directors of media companies by experts from the McCann Erickson agency. The research that was conducted before the campaign was financially supported by the Ministry of Culture, Informing and Information Society and the OSCE Mission in Serbia.
(ASMEDI Newsletter, October 2011)