Silence of the media

In the beginning of the century, when the media companies in Timocka Krajina focused all their effort and skills on advancements in their human resources and technical capabilities, most of them could not have imagined that only ten years later they would be bankrupt or shut down. During the ill-fated privatization, newspapers have been bought by confectioners, bakers or merchants, while TV stations have been purchased by construction entrepreneurs and other "successful" individuals. In some occasions, such acquisitions were a gift to sons and daughters of the rich, or to "special" friends.

Due to all these factors, most of the previously successful media companies are closed or struggling to survive, while the quality of their programme is not even worth considering. Reality shows, Spanish, Italian and other soap operas, so-called quizzes and other schemes to steal money from viewers via SMS services occupy all the TV screens, while the high-quality news, educational, documentary and entertainment programmes have been sidelined or completely removed from programme schedules. Everything is centered around money and the new owners have done their best to make money for themselves before anyone else – if even that, since the state has entered the media scene in a big way and become the largest single expense in the operation of electronic media.

Today, only three years after the announcement of the contest for radio and TV broadcasting licenses (these fees are easily the highest in the region) and the first privatization, some of the broadcasters who have received the license to broadcast legally in the Eastern Serbia region have been closed down for two years, while the others have suffered huge financial troubles and are close to bankruptcy. One-time favorite station of citizens of Knjazevac, the RTV Knjazevac, was privatized in December of 2007 and lost its TV broadcasting license soon thereafter in 2009. At the time, the contract on privatization was terminated and later the radio broadcasting license was revoked. Today the station does not have a single employee and is under bankruptcy. During 2009, only a few months later, the same fate befell the local TV and regional radio station, Radio Krajina Negotin. Unfortunately, these two communities no longer have their local media outlets, although before the privatization they were praised as examples of the media that grew organically within their communities. The only media company in the region, that has managed to avoid privatization – RTV Bor – has lost the broadcasting license due to political involvement in the editorial policy and unprofessional management, and was later closed down by the Municipal Assembly of Bor in 2009. This company is a good example of political games and despotism. In 2010, a new company was formed with the same equipment and "selected" journalists, but without a broadcasting license. After the privatization that was called a rare example of a successful media privatization, RTV Zajecar, the highest-rated media outlet in this region - that could favorably compare to any other regional media in Serbia – has lost control of skyrocketing expenses due to the economic crisis and a large number of employees. Today it has a new owner and a half of the previous staff; it is struggling without a vision, scared for its survival. Only the smallest media outlets, with a very limited programme and staff, have remained at the regional level: Radio Djerdap Kladovo, RTV Folk Disk Salas, RTV Sezam Bor, RTV F Kanal, Radio Magnum, Radio Bum Boljevac and Radio Em Knjazevac. They are unambitious and operate with minimal investment, limited equipment and a small number of journalists, waiting for the situation to settle down with regard to survival of major media outlets at the regional level, but they have a much larger chance to survive the crisis and emerge as the winners of an unfair game imposed by the state. One thing is certain – unfortunately, and as a lesson and a warning to the public, the high-quality media outlets that used to fulfil a fundamental need of the local audience will never be able to operate at the same level.

Velibor Todorov

About the authors

MC Newsletter, May 21, 2010