Media business operations

Radio Bum 93 from Pozarevac has stopped broadcasting news about the activities of the local self-government, protesting against the unjust allocation of money from the city budget intended for financing of local media outlets. The editorial team of the station is of the opinion the the money from the budget is being allocated only to favored media outlets, without any clear criteria or transparency. Because of this, TV 012, weekly magazine Okrug, monthly magazine Nova Rec and Radio Hit have been hit by a financial crisis and are facing closure.
(Danas – Branicevo, NUNS, Danas, UNS, 19.10.2012,Vecernje novosti, UNS, NUNS, 24.10.2012)

The oldest and most-watched local TV station in Nis, RTV 5, is faced with closure due to the possibility that its broadcasting might be banned. In the end of August, the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) revoked the broadcasting frequency of RTV 5 because of the station's huge debt for the broadcasting license. In accordance with the order from RRA, the station's programme was excluded from the SBB cable system on 10 October. Since three days ago, the station is not available on Kopernikus channels as well. At the moment, RTV 5 is available to the citizens of Nis only via the cable system Jotel and the station's website www.rtv5.rs.
(Blic – Serbia, 20.10.2012)

The deputies of the Assembly of the City of Nis have announced their intention to demand an explanation from the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA). The deputies want to know why the RRA had ordered cable distributors to turn off the programme of TV5. In the words of the president of the Assembly, Mile Ilic, TV5 should survive and continue “to objectively inform the public about the events in Nis”. It was also announced that the heads of deputy groups would sign a document in support of the survival of TV5 in the media scene of Serbia.
(Juzne vesti, RTV5, 23.10.2012)

As of yesterday, TV5 has been preparing its programme live in the center of the city of Nis protesting the removal of the station's programme from cable systems on the order from the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA).
(Danas, UNS, NUNS, NDNV, 25.10.2012)

Employees of TV Mozaik, who were striking since the beginning of September, have ended their protest. At the same time, the Managing Board of the Hungarian- language station based in Novi Sad made a decision to streamline the operations and retain only eight of its employees, two of them editors-journalists. The Trade Union “Independence” (“Nezavisnost”), which had organized the strike, is not satisfied with the result. Members of the Trade Union say that the strike was ended because they realized that the very survival of the media outlet was becoming uncertain.
(RTV, Beta, Magyar Szo, UNS, NUNS, NDNV, 25.10.2012)

Privatization and the state-owned media

Representatives of the media, local self-governments, cultural institutions and associations who participated in the round table on regional public service broadcasters held in the Assembly of the City of Nis agreed that regional public service broadcasters were necessary, especially in the period of transition. The participants were of the opinion that the existence of public service broadcasters was necessary because the national public service broadcaster was not capable of satisfying the need for information of all citizens of Serbia. In the words of the editor-in-chief of TV Niska, Miroslav Cosic, the practice has shown that politicians have much more influence on the policy of private media outlets.
(Pregled, UNS, 12.10.2012)

The owner of TV Pink, Zeljko Mitrovic, has confirmed that negotiations about the future of TV Avala are completed. “We have achieved final agreement with Grand Production about the takeover of TV Avala stocks. As a majority owner, Sasa Popovic will begin working on a completely new programme concept of the station”, says Mitrovic.
(Fonet, NUNS, Blic, UNS, E-kapija, Kurir, 12.10.2012, Press, 13.10.2012)

The Republic Broadcasting Agency has not yet received the request for approval of the change in ownership over TV Avala, nor a request for change of the name of the broadcaster.
(Danas, 13.10.2012)

The fact that the owner of Grand Production, Sasa Popovic, has bought TV Avala and that B92 and TV Fox (now TV Prva) have changed owners cannot be considered a sale of broadcasting frequencies because the holders of broadcasting licenses are legal persons, not their owners, said Goran Karadzic, the deputy president of the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA). He pointed out that all broadcasters had the right to change the names of television stations, subject to approval of the Agency, because this issue was a part of their business policy. He said that so far TV Fox has changed name to TV Prva, and that dozens of regional and local stations have changed their names.
(Danas, NUNS, UNS, 15.10.2012)

The daily newspaper Informer reports: “TV Avala will be declared bankrupt! Negotiations between the owner of Grand, Sasa Popovic, and the representatives of the owners of TV Avala have failed and the previously announced takeover and the launch of TV Narodna will not happen. Unless the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) receives money until Wednesday, TV Avala is going to lose its broadcasting license on Thursday!”
(Informer, UNS, NUNS, 24.10.2012)

The deputy president of the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA), Goran Karadzic, says that if TV Avala fails to pay the required amount of money, and if the Ministry of Telecommunication declares that its broadcasting frequencies will not be needed during the process of digitalization, a public contest will be announced for allocation of these broadcasting frequencies for the period of eight years. In professional circles, TV Svet Plus Info is rumored to be the only possible candidate.
(Danas, UNS, RTV, Fonet, Press, NUNS, 25.10.2012)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) has found out that the director of “Politika Novine i Magazini” (PNM), Mira Glisic Simic, became the only person authorized to represent PNM in the Business Registers Agency (APR) as of 15 October. The previous representative of the foreign co-owner of Politika, Goran Ilin, has been removed from the register because he had resigned from the position of the deputy general director of “Politika NM” on 14 September. Due to this fact, the general director Mira Glisic Simic became the only remaining authorized person. She is the representative of the capital that is mostly state-owned.
(UNS, 16.10.2012, FoNet, Beta, Danas, E-kapija, Blic, Politika, Pregled, RTV B92, Tanjug, NUNS,17.10.2012, Danas, Informer, Beta, Pregled, NUNS, 18.10.2012)

The management of the company “Politika Novine i Magazini” (PNM) has announced that negotiations between the Government and the new co-owner of Politika, aimed at defining future relations within the company, are ongoing. The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) demands that the Government explain what kind of changes have occurred in the management structure of the company.
(Blic, 18.10.2012)