Predrag Markovic, Minister of Culture, Media and Information Society

Beograd, 31.01.2012 (Danas) - According to Markovic, the Media Strategy Action Plan is being implemented within deadlines. The work on the Law on Electronic Communications is ongoing while forming a working group for drafting the new Law on Public Information is about to be finished. Initiative for considering possibility of amending the laws within their jurisdiction was sent to several ministries.

When can we expect the first proposals of media laws?

- The Law on Public Information, the Law on Electronic Media, the Law on Public Services and other laws will be adopted within deadlines.

Is determining regional public service have already started?

- It has not started yet. The working group for drafting the Law on Public Services will be in charge for finding a solution for that issue.

There were assessments that government would stop the Strategy's implementation or delay it until the election. How do you comment on that?

- It could happen only if the text of the Strategy is changed. There is no indication that this would happen during the mandate of this government.

Are there political or other pressures related to the Media Strategy?

- As for employees in the Ministry's Department for Media, there have not been such pressurea.

Belgrade, February 1, 2012. (Kurir) - Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) warned that new SOKOJ's tariffs would endanger the existence of a large number of electronic media. UNS said that the decision of the Administrative Court to reject an appeal in which ANEM requested a review and annulment of the opinion of the Commission for copyright and related rights, confirmed very high SOKOJ fees for broadcasters.

Belgrade, January 27, 2012. (Vecernje Novosti) - Appearance of party leaders in TV programs during the upcoming election campaign will be closely followed the RRA. Every second will be monitored. In order to control the election campaign, RRA has purchased new equipment. RRA Council will have everyday sessions in order to quickly react.

Goran Karadzic, Deputy Chairman of the RRA Council, said that rules would be determined by General binding instruction to broadcasters, which had already been created and would be distributed to TV stations as soon as elections were called. We also prepared a software for monitoring the campaign on television, says Karadzic.

Belgrade, January 27, 2012. (Blic) - "Jug Grizelj" was awarded to journalist Drago Hedl from Osijek for the book "Chronicle of a destruction" that described events in Slavonia since 1990 and the Croatian criminal Branimir Glavas. The prize is awarded by Grizelj friends, colleagues and family for "the highest achievement in investigative journalism in the service of developing friendship between people and the removal of borders between nations".

Belgrade, Janauary 26, 2012. (Alo) - According to the index published every year by "Reporters Without Borders", Serbia is at 80th place in the world in the area of freedom of media in 2011. Our country was at the 85th position in 2010. As for this ranking, Serbia is among the countries seeking EU membership. Montenegro is ranked worst (107). As for the other former Yugoslavia countries, Slovenia is ranked best (36); it is followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina (58), Croatia (68) and Macedonia (94).

Sabac, January 25, 2012. (Danas) - Association of Broadcasters of western Serbia, which gathers 17 radio and TV stations, has requested postponement of the date of payment of frequency rent until RRA solves the problem with piracy broadcasting. This association announced initiating a lawsuit against RRA due to this issue.

Cacak, January 25, 2012. (Pregled) - RTS broadcasting institution submitted to the Cacak Basic Court the proposals for issuing permits for execution against 300 debtors in this town who failed to pay TV fee. The spokesman of the Municipal Court Tatjana Kandic said that the procedure for testing the correctness of the proposal documentation is ongoing. This procedure is regulated by the Law on Execution and Security. After issuing the decision of enforcement, a debtor has a right to object, after which seizure of property follows. The law stipulates what can not be subject to execution, taking into account whether a property is necessary part of a household. The lawsuits against debtors for TV fee have been filed also in Valjevo and Belgrade.

Belgrade, January 23, 2012. (Danas) - Cable operators in Serbia are most interested in distributing television programs of B92 Info and SOS. A total of 30 operators distribute the program of SOS TV, while 28 operators distribute the program of B92 Info.

RRA has issued broadcasting licenses to 91 cable broadcasters so far. According to the procedure for issuing licenses, the cable distributors must submit a request and documents for a permission to broadcast the program of any broadcaster they would like to include in their offer. Thus, a broadcaster cannot obtain one license and distribute its program via several cable systems, but it is necessary to obtain a license for each operator separately.

Belgrade, January 23, 2012. (Blic) - In recent years, TV stations violated the law when they were selling program space in duration up to one hour before election, experts say.

Advertising Law clearly stipulates that the advertising block can not exceed 12 minutes when it comes to private TV stations and six minutes when it comes to RTS. The same rule should be applied in the period of election campaign.

According to the agency "AGB Nielsen", during the parliamentary election campaign in 2008,  Serbian citizens were forced to watch paid programs in total duration of ten days, and before the last presidential elections - three days and 10 hours. Instead of regular program, stations broadcast videos and rallies of paries, which culminated in broadcasting final parties' conventions on the last day before the election silence.

Bojan Klačar from Cesid says for "Blic" that such party advertising has no foundation in the Advertising Law and that RRA violated it by sending its binding instructions to commercial broadcaster. Namely, RRA allowed to TV stations 120 minutes a day for leased term for the parliamentary elections and 90 minutes for the presidential elections.

Belgrade, January 21, 2011. (Politika) - After the media had reported about the sale of TV "Pink", the press service of this media outlet issued a statement announcing that they "negotiate with several companies on potential partnership." The possible partners are "Ringier Axel Springer", RTL German and British investment fund "Mid Europe Partners." In a statement to B92, Mitrovic explained that they negotiated on a minority ownership. "The percentage is irrelevant; what is rrelevant is the power and intention of a strategic partner, with whom we will set off to conquer Europe"said Mitrovic.

Belgrade, January 20, 2012. (Politika) - During the past year, Serbia's public service broadcasters sent 390,500 warning notices before the charges are filed against irregular payers. As they say in this media outlet, ithis measure has already shown a positive effect. Citizens have an opportunity to settle their debt in monthly installments. In case of not responding to the notices, the procedure for collection of receivables would be initiated. On the territory of Serbia, RTV fee is paid by 41 percent of households on average. Most regular payers live in the capital and in Vojvodina, while only 18 percent of citizens living in the Kraljevo region pay the fee.

Nis, January 16, 2012. (Danas) - Mayor of Nis, Milos Simonovic, denied the latest assessment of the State Audit Institution that the City had repeatedly violated the Public Procurement Law and the Law on Budget System, when it came to cooperation with the media. He said that all decisions on cooperation with the media were available to the public and dismissed suspicions that some of media outlets were "politically privileged".

Belgrade, January 14, 2012. (Dnevnik) - In the shadow of the Christmas holidays of New Year's, there was a story of the fate of TV Avala, whose employees received their last salary in summer. However, if the agreement between RRA, RATEL and owners of TV Avala (Greenberg Invest GmbH from Austria, Danko Djunic, Zeljko Mitrovic and Economics Institute in Belgrade) is applies, this media company has a chance to survive at least for some time.

By starting a strike in December last year, employees of TV Avala have drawn public attention to the situation in media. The plight of journalists, who became clay pigeons thanks to the disastrous solutions of the Law on Information, is combined with media scandals and conflicts over ownership and a monopoly position in the market.

The strike in TV Avala has shown that it is high time to seriously address the issue of state legislation regulating the media and the consistent application of laws. We are witnessing daily violations of the Law on Advertising, the Broadcasting Law as well as ignoring the RRA decision on awarding radio frequencies. It is high time for someone to roll up your sleeves.

Belgrade, January 13, 2011. (Danas) - The owners' offer that employees of TV Avala received via media is not acceptable for them. The strikers demand payment of three minimum wages and fees in order to start broadcasting the program. In agreement with the new Director and Editor in Chief Dusan Pančic, they agreed yesterday to temporarily remove the inserter with information about the strike.

In accordance with the owners' promise that they will consolidate the Avala TV in the next 60 days, employees expect their wages and fees to be paid by then.

- We remind that our emloyer violated the Labor Law. Despite this fact, we have no knowledge that any of the relevant institutions brought any solution on that basis. We request ensuring that social dialogue that will lead to signing of the collective agreement, and that none of the employees, including part-time associates, shall not be released before the debt is paid - employees of TV Avala explain.

Nis, January 13, 2012. (Blic) - Nis Society of Journalists (DNN) has welcomed the initiation of proceedings against Dejan Brankovic due to threatening correspondent of "Politika" and "Sportski zurnal" from Nis, Tomi Todorovic. Brankovic is suspected of sending Todorovic SMSes with insulting content. For this offense, imprisonment of one to eight years is envisaged. "Given that the suspect is a representative of FK Radnicki, we call the club to give its statement on this event," it is said in DNN statement.

Belgrade, January 12, 2012 (Politika) - Belgrade daily Politika has strenuously condemned the threats made to its colleague Tomislav Todorovic, correspondent from Nis, urging efficient response of relevant institutions in Serbian judiciary.

A number of threatening notes were delivered to Todorovic address in mid December, which was reported to the police, which had identified the suspect as B.D., allegedly an official from the Radnicki soccer club, although those versed in football situation claim that it is actually about the "self-proclaimed football worker".

Journalists' organizations have urged the Nis Basic Public Prosector's Office to bring to an end as soon as possible the procedure against the person who had made a series of threats and insults to the correspondent of Politika and Sportski Zurnal.

Belgrade, January 12, 2012 (Pregled) - The European Parliament has noted that "strong and independent media are the essential segment of democratic system", acknowledging the adoption of the Media Strategy by the Serbian Government and stipulated withdrawal of the state from ownership in media.

This was uttered in the Draft Resolution on the European Integration of Serbia, which would be reviewed tomorrow by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament.

The European Parliament "expresses concern over the attempt of the state to control and interference in the public information sector, calling on the (Serbian) government to take all necessary measures to guarantee the independence of political and other pressures". The EU Parliament has also underlined the need for much needed steps taken against concentration of ownership in media and lack of transparency in media".

Predrag Markovic, Minister of Culture, Media and Information Society

On started projects, supporting the media and saving

The state will withdraw from media ownership within set deadline

Belgrade, January 12, 2012. (Vecernje Novosti) - The Minister Markovic said that the government would not "tumble" any additional fees on the media after the adoption of "problematic" Law on Cinematography. In his interview for "Novosti" he says the opposite - that people will get a lot more from the culture for less money in this yaer. He also announced the withdrawal of the state from ownership in media outlets and adoption of new law on public information.

What achievements do you expect from the Media Strategy? Which laws would be adopted?

- Media strategy has established deadlines for the systemic regulation of this area and these deadlines are respected. We are currently working on the law on electronic media and the public competition for financing of media in 2012.

Do you expect the state to withdraw from all the media within two years?

- The exact period is 24 months after the establishment of legal basis.

Will the government ensure transparency of media ownership?

- Yes, by precise legal provisions. These provisions will be contained in the regulations to be brought or will be determined by a special law.

When will the Law on Public Information be amended?

- A working group for drafting the law is being established. The deadline for its adoption is 18 months from the adoption of the Strategy.

Can the state assist the media in financial hardship?

- The state regularly supports the media through competitions for funding quality programs. TV broadcasters facing financial dificulties are under the responsibility of the RRA and it have already taken appropriate steps within its jurisdiction.

What does the new Law on Cinematography bring? What is the reason for disrespecting the critics of media and journalists' associations?

- After 20 years, this area is a regulated system. It is good that journalists' associations react preventively based on false information. It is their job. It turned out that the law did not provide any new fees/taxes for media, nor for the citizens. On the contrary, we resorted to a solution which protected the electronic media.

Belgrade, January 11, 2012 (Pravda) - The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) published its 28^th Monitoring Report on the media scene in Serbia, dealing with cases of violation of freedom of expression in late 2011, in which journalists and members of their teams were exposed to threats and insults, physical attacks and pressures.

The case of "Pravda" journalist Srecko Milovanovic, who was, on November 3^rd, rudely insulted and threatened to be trown out of the building of the Faculty of Philosophy by members of private security guards, engaged by the Faculty management to put an end to a two-week blockage of the building by protesting students.

Two verdicts of the Court of Appeals in cases of attacks on journalists point to a possible turn in practice of courts in Serbia which have, by rule, sentenced perpetrators with punishments within legal minimun and often even below it, ANEM stated.

Belgrade, January 11, 2012 (Politika) - The only measure the RBA may take in the case of TV Avala, where the station's staff has been in strike for over 20 days, is to revoke its license for broadcasting of program. However, according to the member of the RBA Council Goran Pekovic, the Agency does not wish for it to happen and will seek other solutions for the station with national frequency, whose business account is currently blocked.

"If the information that Bojana Lekic is no longer editor-in-chief of the station is true, then we have a problem because, the RBA has not been officially informed about any change in this media. If this is so, then conditions for immediate cessation of work of TV Avala have been met, as none media may operate without chief editor under the Public Information Law. Another prerequisite for broadcasting license was that the broadcaster fully meets its financial obligations, paying regular wages and related taxes to its employees. If the TV Avala management is no longer able to do so, we have no other legal options than to revoke the license for broadcasting of program of TV Avala. However, I sincerely hope that it will not happen", Goran Pekovic said.

TV Avala owners have not been available for comments. Zeljko Mitrovic has not replied to our call, while Danko Djunic said that he did not want to make any statements before the meeting in the RBA.