The total cost of the election campaign on television for all elections, according to information from Transparency International, amounted to almost 20 million euros. A third of this amount, i.e. 6.8 million, was spent by the coalition led by the Democratic Party (DS), followed by the United Regions of Serbia (URS) with around 4 millions, while the coalition "Let's Move Serbia Forward" spent around 2.2 million euros. According to Transparency's estimate, public service broadcasters received 5.1 million euros for aired videos, while commercial TV stations (which also aired paid time slots) earned around 14.5 million euros.
(Vecernje Novosti, 25.05.2012)

During the election campaign for the presidential election run-off, the largest amount of money spent by the campaign of the candidate of the Democratic Party (DS) was expended on advertising on TV Prva (more than 300,000 euros), followed by advertising on TV Pink (around 270,000 euros), reports the daily newspaper Danas. According to information from the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA),election marketing of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) was not aired on TV B92, TV Avala and TV Happy. With regard to the First Channel of Radio-Television Serbia (RTS), the coalition "Choice for Better Life" paid at least around 92,000 euros for advertisements, while the SNS expended around 34,000 euros for the same purpose.
(Danas, 02.06.2012)

Two months after the end of the strike (on February 22, 2012) caused by unpaid salaries and author's fees, the employees of TV Avala suspended the airing of "live" programme on May 4, 2012. The employees demand that the Republic Broadcasting Agency explain how it is possible that a TV station with national coverage is allowed not to air locally produced programme, which is one of requirements for the national broadcasting license.
(TV Avala 24.05.2012, Tanjug, Pregled, Pravda, Blic, 25.05.2012)

Employees of TV Avala demand that the Republic Broadcasting Agency explain how it is possible that a TV station with national coverage is allowed not to air locally produced programme, which is one of requirements for the national broadcasting license. According to the rules on national coverage in 2006, each television station is obliged to broadcast at least 25 percent of its own production. A member of the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency and a professor at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, Goran Pekovic, says that the structure of programme is evaluated at the annual level. "Periodic variations in the programme are evident in programmes of TV stations that do not have difficulties in operations", said Pekovic. The company "Greenberg Investment" owns 48 percent of Avala, businessman Danko Djunic owns 46 percent, while Zeljko Mitrovic owns 5 percent of the station. The Economic Institute from Belgrade is in possession of 1 percent of the TV station's shares.
(Politika, NUNS, UNS, 25.05.2012)

Employees of TV Avala and TV Pink 15 from Skoplje protested yesterday in front of the building of TV Pink in Belgrade because of unpaid salaries. Employees of TV Avala have not been paid four salaries, while those working for TV Pink 15 from Skoplje have not received eight salaries.
(Alo, Dnevnik, Politika, Kurir, 02.06.2012)

The owner of TV Pink, Zeljko Mitrovic, told the daily newspaper Politika, commenting on the protest of employees in TV Avala and the Macedonian TV Pink 15, that due to a change in the business policy in Macedonia he had given up on terrestrial broadcasting of programme and offered four cable channels to the local market. "This is why the employees in TV Pink 15 have lost their jobs. They have to understand that the company does not exist anymore and that they should seek new jobs", said Mitrovic. On the other hand, Mitrovic said to employees of TV Avala that all their questions should be addressed to majority shareholders.
(mondo.rs, NUNS, 02.06.2012)

Belgrade weekly magazine Ekonomist has ceased publication, and the magazine's editorial team began striking because of six unpaid salaries and the employer's failure to pay taxes and contributions, announced the editorial team of the magazine yesterday. The announcement points out that the official owner of the magazine is Media International Group, headquartered in the USA, but that its real owner is the former vice president of the Government of Serbia, Bozidar Djelic.
(Beta, 01.06.2012, Danas, Alo, Press, Politika, Informer, 02.06.2012, Alo!, Zaposleni Ekonom:east Media Group, UNS, 04.06.2012)

We asked Bozidar Djelic, an official of the Democratic Party (DS), whether he has ownership share in the magazine Ekonomist. "Since I became a member of the government five years ago, I have not owned or co-owned, nor had any financial interest in any company in Serbia", said Djelic to Politika daily newspaper.
(Politika, UNS, NUNS, 06.06.2012)

The daily newspaper Pravda has been closed down and the last issue of the newspaper was published today. The newspaper was founded by the newspaper publishing company Pravda Press, registered in Belgrade in 2006. Co-owners of Pravda are Nemanja Stefanovic (48 percent), Jugoslav Petkovic (47 percent) and Nikola Petrovic (5 percent).
(Beta, 01.06.2012, Alo, Press, Večernje novosti, Politika, 02.06.2012)

Representatives of employees of TV Avala, employees of newspapers Pravda and Ekonomist, and the Journalists' Union of Serbia will submit a request tomorrow for a meeting with the president of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic.
(Tanjug, NUNS, 06.06.2012)

Media visits

A visit to national media outlets, organized by the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) for 17 students of journalism from Nis on Thursday, May 31, began with a tour of the editorial offices of Ringier Axel Springer, where the integrated editorial team of the newspapers Blic, 24 Sataand Alo! are located. Students also visited the editorial offices of the magazines Blic Zene, Puls, Auto Bild and NIN. In the premises of UNS, the president of the Association, Ljiljana Smajlovic, held a lecture on foreign affairs journalism to students from Nis. One of the founders of RTV B92, Sasa Mirkovic, took the students to a tour of the company.
(UNS, 05.06.2012)

"Stampa Sistem" has not given up on the purchase of "Futura Plus", although we withdrew our previous application submitted to the Committee for Protection of Competition. The reasons behind this were procedural, said the general director of "Stampa Sistem". In combination with a new visual identity, the newsstands of "Stampa" will become recognizable shopping locations with a modernized service, says "Futura".
(Novosti, E-Kapija, 29.05.2012)