DIVERSITY OF MEDIA IN SARAJEVO

THE WAR AS THE ORIGINATOR OF NEWSPAPERS

Unfortunately, pluralism of media in B&H did not exist until war broke out. In 50 municipalities controlled by the federal authorities, until the end og August, as many as 135 new journals, reviews, magazines, were registered, plus 47 radio and TV stations. Some of them ceased to exist the very next day, and we will get rid of many others which are preposterous only after a market of the media is formed after the war. Now we can still enjoy the "Tennis" although noone in Sarajevo has seen a tennis court for almost three years, or the "Bosmen", the Bosnian version of Supermean, who bravely disables all the Chetniks around him, while his surroundings have not the slightest idea who he actually is...

AIM, SARAJEVO, October 14, 1994.

The media in Bosnia&Herzegovina have experienced a true boom during the war. Terrible destruction and blockade were no obstacle for registration as many as 135 new newspapers, review and journals, and 47 radio and TV stations in the period from July 1992 until the end of August this year in the 50 municipalitues controlled by the federal authorities. It is true that hardly one third of them all survived, but that still leaves us with an admirable number.

In Sarajevo, of course, the situation is the most variegated and the most interesting. In a space of only a couple of square kilometres, where 380 thousand people are cramped (without the part controlled by Karadzic's army), eight radio stations plus the state Radio of B&H are broadcasting their program. There are also two televisions, two dailies, 10 weeklies and a number of periodicals whose period od piblication can never be determined. This variety of the media is supplemented by the stations from the so-called Serbian republic, which broadcast their programs from the occupied transmitters around the city.

During the war nobody made public opinion polls, but even without them, every citizen of Sarajevo knows that here everybody listens to everything. The people who come here from the other side of the line, say that the authorities over there have stopped trying to catch those who are listening to the stations from this side. In a completely unnatural manner, the war has separated people and friends, divided the space and the past. That is the reason why every sparkle of light outside the darkness of the communication blockade is so interesting.

The editors do not fear too much either that their radio stations will be silenced or their journals banned. At least not legally. At the moment, the legal state is no threat to freedom and independence. The political and the economical underground is more inclined to curb the media, especially the radio stations, and so are the political parties, the radical clergy and their supporters. Constant attacks on the independent radio "Studio 99", and the interruption of the program of radio "Vrhbosna" certify best about it.

There were times during this war when the people from TV and radio stations feared street "armies" and local sheriffs the most. They used to bring whole companies from their bases and break into a radio or television director's office to intervene because the song about their favourite commander was not on the air as much as they wanted it to be, or because the statement of their brigade had not been read in extenso. During that period, "Radio M" fared the worst, because the maffia concealed in one of the Sarajevo brigades, ruined all its equipment. The reason: along with the most popular folk songs from around here, this radio broadcasted songs of a few folk singers from Serbia. The other media in the city, fearing the same destiny, kept their silence concerning this act. Except for a short piece of news, there was neither commentaries nor condemnations in any of them. Only after the Presidency issued the approval to keep criminals in the city under control, such cases of "editing" stopped.

What happened next was the already notorious decision of the Minister of Education and Culture on banning broadcasting of music originating from the countries aggressors and music performed by performers who have emigrated there. By the same decree, editors-in-chief were given the right to decide whether they would broadcast the local performers who left Sarajevo and went to work abroad. Of course, the order-issuing authority would have been the happiest if they had been able to ban their music by a decree as well. The fact is, however, that there was practically no dispute about the first part of the ban, because such music mostly did not go into the program anyway, except for Djordje Balasevic who is considered to be a sympathizer of Bosnia. But, as for the second part of the decision, many considered it to be more problematic because the musical scene in the city was almost deserted by performers. And the problem was even worse when speaking of bands - some of the members were in the city, and some were somewhere else.

But, the greatest turmoil among the media has only just come in sight. The Croatian Democratic Community, the party in power which claims that it represents all Croats, after the radio "Vrhbosna" had been silenced by the state Radio-Television, demanded division of the property of that very same state Radio-Television, "because the Croats are not satisfied by the way they are represented on TV". The constitutional solution for the Bosnian-Croatian Federation, which prescribes that the sphere of television is within the competence of the cantons, actually speaks in favour of their demand. The official authorities, however, but the journalists from the more or less multinational RTV B&H too, are opposed to such a division. If the Croats were to separate their own TV channel, the few remaining Croats and Serbs would probably leave the RTV B&H, so it would finally become - Muslim.

At the moment, contrary to radio and television, there are fewer scandals in the press. Besides the dailies "Oslobodjenje", and "Vecernje novine" which call themselves "war heroes", a multitude of diverse editions propped up during the war. Although it would be logical to conclude that it is mere nonsense to publish journals such as the luxurious "Tennis", because there is not a single tennis court left in Sarajevo, but in this city, under siege for 900 days, this lack of logic has become part of everyday life. Recently, the cartoon BOSMAN appeared - the Bosnian version of the "Superman". With his exceptional skill, Bosman gets rid of the Chetniks while people around him are not at all aware what a hero they have among them. After all, only pornographic journals cannot be found in the news-stands, because they are not approved of here. But, the old volumes of porno journals such as the "Vruci Kaj" and the "Erotika" sold by hucksters in the streets are sold out instantly.

The reasons for such expansion of the media are certainly, among other, the liberal possibilities for their founding nad registration, as well as the low operation expenses due to war conditions. Paper is, generally, obtained as humanitarian aid, electric power is free of charge, journalists and other workers usually do not have salaries, but they acquire the desirable working obligation. In war conditions, when everybody can be mobilized at any time - this is more than enough. But, since there is no market of the media, a number of journals which suddenly appear, cease to be published just as suddenly.

Although the journals and the radio stations are usually founded by groups of journalists and audio-enthisiasts, sometimes University professors, successful tradesmen and a smuggler here and there decide to do it too. For some this is a journalistic challenge, for others it is business, and for some it means solution of the problem of working obligations or obtaining the UNPROFOR's card for airplane flights. The pluralism of the media in Sarajevo has come to life only in the war, but after the war, only the best will survive. Once a true market in the sphere of the media is formed we will, fortunately, get rid of many of the journals.

RADENKO UDOVICIC