The problem with royalties for broadcast music is almost solved. Collective organizations for protection of copyright and related rights and music users are about to reach an agreement that would be acceptable to everyone, announced yesterday the Organization of Phonogram Producers of Serbia (OFPS). OFPS issued a statement saying that Organization for Collective Rights of Performers (PI) and OFPS had negotiated with associations representing media users, the Union of Employers of Serbia, the Association for Information Activities of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), Radio-Television Serbia and Radio-Television Vojvodina with the aim to solve the previous disputes. Together with the Union of Employers of Serbia, Sokoj, PI and OFPS submitted to the Ministry of Finance and Economy an initiative to amend the Law on Value-Added Tax and reduce the VAT by 10 percent.
(Pregled, 30.08.2012)

The owner and director of Pink International, Zeljko Mitrovic, said that TV Pink pays fees amounting to one million euros annually to regulatory bodies - the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA), the Republic Agency for Electronic Communication (RATEL) and ETV – while the same fees in Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina amount to 200,000 euros and 100,000 euros, respectively. During a session of the Union of Broadcasting Organizations, where it was proposed that broadcasting fees should be reduced by 25-50%, Mitrovic pointed out that in some countries in the region broadcasters pay a single fee, while in Serbia they have to pay fees to three regulatory bodies – RRA, RATEL and ETV. The president of the Broadcasting Union of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Zoran Andjelkovic, said that economic conditions had worsened considerably, that the position of broadcasters in Serbia was difficult, and that their survival was threatened by excessive fees.
(Pregled, UNS, 04.09.2012)

All radio and TV stations that have concluded a contract with the Organization of Music Authors of Serbia (SOKOJ) will pay lower fees for usage of music content in 2012. This is stipulated by the Protocol on Discounts signed by SOKOJ and the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM). ANEM says says that the Protocol constitutes the final phase of longtime efforts to match the amount of the fees with the economic conditions in which the electronic media in Serbia operate.
(BizLife, Tanjug, 11.09.2012, Blic, Informer, 12.09.2012)

The Trade Union Independence at TV Mozaik from Novi Sad, which broadcasts programme in Hungarian language, will begin a strike today if employees' demands that salaries be paid are not fulfilled. The first strike of warning at TV Mozaik was held on April 19, while the second one took place on August 7.
(NDNV, 01.09.2012, Danas, UNS, NUNS, 03.09.2012)

The Journalists' Union of Serbia (UNS) supports the total strike by employees of TV Mozaik from Novi Sad and demands that the founders of the station, The Mozaik Foundation and the National Council of the Hungarian National Minority, finally begin negotiation on fulfillment of the strikers' demands.
(UNS, 03.09.2012)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) supports the strike of employees of TV Mozaik from Novi Sad and demands that the founders of the TV station finally take measures to reverse its destruction and preserve jobs. Aside from the damage to the livelihood of employees, non-payment of salaries also threatens the acquired right of citizens of southern Backa to receive information in their native language.
(NDNV, 03.09.2012, Danas, 04.09.2012)

Discussion about the current media situation in Serbia and financing of local media outlets will take place in Media Centre Vojvodina on Friday, 14 September 2012 at 11.00. Introductory speeches will be made by the presidents of the associations belonging to the Media Coalition: Sasa Mirkovic (ANEM), Dejan Miladinovic (Local Press), Dusan Janjic (NUNS), Ljiljana Smajlovic (UNS) and Dinko Gruhonjic (NDNV). They will talk about the current media situation in Serbia and announce the end of the financing of local media outlets by the media coalition in cooperation with BIRN and support from IREX.
(NDNV, 10.09.2012)

Media Center Belgrade and Media Center Nis have launched a series of studio debates entitled "When You Say..." ("Kad kazete...") which will mostly deal with current economic issues that have greatest significance for Serbia and today's society. The programme is available in a web format at the web page www.mc.rs/KadKazete, and the file can be freely downloaded in a professional format after registration. Smaller segments of the debate (audio and video clips, photographs, texts, transcripts...) intended for free downloading will also be available at the web site of the news agency FoNet, www.fonet.rs, after a free and simple registration, without a need to be a user or subscriber of the FoNet news service. The series is supported by the Fund for an Open Society Serbia.
(Media Center Belgrade, 10.09.2012)

The municipal government in Kikinda has discontinued the financial support to private local media and some of the production and marketing companies from Belgrade and Novi Sad. At the beginning of the year, concluded contracts will be terminated, effective as of the last day in August. This is the first specific step aimed at achieving savings adopted by the Municipal Council after the elections. Its necessity was explained by the difficult financial situation, reports Novosti.
(Vecernje novosti, 12.09.2012)

Privatization and the state-owned media

Sasa Popovic will become one of the co-owners of TV Avala, reports the daily newspaper Kurir. He is going to purchase 46.6 percent of stocks from the businessman Danko Djunic, while 48.5 percent of the stocks, owned by Austrian Johannes Werner Krauss, will be bought by a very powerful investor, who will also be obliged to pay all the debt of the TV station. Zeljko Mitrovic will keep his 4.9 percent of stocks. If new owners do not buy TV Avala in the next 20 days, its national frequency will be revoked and the station closed down.
(Kurir, Press, NUNS, e-kapija, UNS, Politika, 01.09.2012)

Negotiation about the purchase of TV Avala have entered the final phase and it is only a matter of days before it becomes property of the leader of "Grand Produkcija", Sasa Popovic. The new TV station will be named TV Narodna. According to unofficial sources cited by the daily newspaper Press, Popovic will make certain changes in the programme, the most important of which will be transfer of the show "Grand Parada" from TV Pink. Popovic has also announced his intention to employ no less than 200 new workers. Experts are of the opinion that the value of the new station might reach 15 million euros next year, when its license is due to be renewed. After the redesign and recovery, TV Avala might easily find a foreign buyer.
(Press, 04.09.2012, Alo!, NUNS, e-kapija, UNS, 05.09.2012)

The fate of TV Avala will be known soon, because one of the potential buyers, the director of "Grand Produkcija", Sasa Popovic, expects that negotiations with the current owners will be completed in seven days. Popovic has confirmed the reports published by Politika and said that the company "Beohemija", one of the regional leaders in production of powder detergents and household chemicals, might become one of the co-owners of TV Avala in partnership with "Grand".
(Politika, 06.09.2012)

"Beohemija" has no intention to buy TV Avala, announced the company from Zrenjanin, thereby denying the reporting of Politika.
(e-kapija 07.09.2012)

The most important information during transformation of the ownership structure of any electronic media outlet is the identity of the new owner, because individuals and companies are not allowed to own two or more TV or radio stations, says the deputy president of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA), Goran Karadzic.
(Politika, UNS, NUNS, 07.09.2012)

Veselin Jevrosimovic's company Internet Groups, which owns the web portal Telegraf.rs, became the owner of 50 percent of the stocks of the Macedonian company "Graficki Centar". The Macedonian company owns three Macedonian daily newspapers – Dnevnik, Vesti and Utrinski Vesnik – and a printing press.
(Press, 01.09.2012)