Media business operations

According to media reports in Macedonia, the local Broadcasting Council has decided to revoke the broadcasting license belonging to TV Pink 15 from Skoplje. According to same sources, several months ago, the owner, Zeljko Mitrovic, met with the employees of the station, whose salaries are eight months late. He promised to pay a half of the debt as of 1 May, which did not happen.
(Politika, NUNS, UNS, 17.05.2012)

In 72 percent of the interviewed media outlets, the average monthly salary amounted to no more than 30,000 dinars, while only three percent of the media had salaries exceeding 50,000 dinars, says the report on freedom of the media authored by Civil Rights Defenders, ANEM, NUNS, NDNV and Local Press.
(Danas, UNS, NUNS, 10.05.2012)

The public has finally been given access to data on financial results of companies, including the media, in 2011. With regard to the print media, the last year was financially positive for publishing companies Ringier Axel Springer, Politika Novine i Magazini, Danas, Vreme and Kurir. The following companies suffered losses: Politika AD, Kompanija Novosti, NIN and Press. All publications issued by the publishing company Ringier Axel Springer (Blic, Alo, Blic Zena...) were financially successful in the last year, achieving profit in the amount of 525 million dinars. The number of employees of the company increased from 251 (in 2010) to 313.
(Danas, UNS, e-kapija, 10.05.2012)

Out of all commercial television stations with a national frequency, only Pink International ended the year with a net profit, which in the last year amounted to around 75.6 million dinars, which is around one quarter of the profit achieved in 2010. Pink reduced the number of employees from 713 to 692. TV Fox ended the last year with a net loss amounting to 14.5 million dinars, which is significantly less than in 2010, when the loss was 359.4 million dinars. The number of employees has been reduced from 207 to 172. TV B92 ended the last year with a loss of 333.3 million dinars. The number of employees was reduced from 357 to 289. The accumulated losses of the company below and in excess of the capital amount to 643.5 million and 598.8 million dinars, respectively. In the last year, TV Avala suffered losses amounting to 409.4 million dinars. The number of its employees was increased from 132 to 133. The accumulated losses of the station are huge: losses below and in excess of the capital amount to 207.6 million and 2.6 billion dinars, respectively. Finally, TV Happy suffered a net loss of 56.3 million dinars in the last year. TV Happy has only one employee. Accumulated losses of the TV station below and in excess of the capital amount to 223,000 dinars and 149.9 million dinars, respectively.
(Danas, UNS, NUNS, 11.05.2012)

Out of five million euros of government funds, almost four million have been used to finance the activities of four state-owned media companies, while one million euros was expended on projects in more than 200 media outlets, says the report on the freedom of the media in Serbia in 2011.
(Beta, 11.05.2012, Danas, 12.05.2012)

The program director of Transparency Serbia, Nemanja Nenadic, says: "The United Regions of Serbia (URS) political party spent the largest amount of money on TV advertising during the parliamentary election campaign, amounting to more than 620 million dinars. It is followed by the coalition "Choice for Better Life", which spent slightly more than 425 million dinars, and the coalition "Let's Move Serbia Forward", which spent around 209 million dinars on its TV campaign. The coalition led by SPS, Dveri, SVM, and LSV had no expenses at all for television advertising during the parliamentary election campaign. During the presidential election campaign, the coalition headed by DS spent the largest amount of money – slightly more than 337 million dinars.
(Pravda, Alo!, 12.05.2012)

Privatization and state-owned media

Belgrade businessman Milan Beko said today that his companies which own the Belgrade newspaper company "Novosti" won the arbitration process against the German media company WAZ. WAZ had filed nine arbitration claims against companies that own "Novosti", claiming breach of contract and damage to business interest of WAZ.
(Beta, E kapija, 17.05.2012, Fonet, Press, Pravda, Danas, Vecernje Novosti, Alo!, Blic, Politika, 18.05.2012)

Media conglomerate WAZ said on 19 May 2012 that it had not lost the arbitration process and denied the statement issued by Milan Beko. "It is true that the media conglomerate WAZ has initiated the arbitration process against the aforementioned companies in accordance with the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce. WAZ announced its withdrawal from Serbia in June 2010, which means that the company had no further interest in continuing the arbitration proceedings", says the announcement. Milan Beko and his companies that are owners of the Belgrade newspaper publishing company "Novosti" reiterated on Saturday 19 May, in their reply to the statement issued by the German media conglomerate WAZ, that they had won the arbitration process against WAZ in Vienna.
(Beta, Tanjug, E Kapija, 19.05.2012, Vecernje Novosti, Danas, NDNV, UNS, Kurir, Politika, 20.05.2012, NUNS, 21.05.2012)