FORTRESS OF SERBIAN JOURNALISM

Radio B 92 Shut Down

AIM Belgrade, 4 December, 1996

"Geese saved Rome, and Veran Matic saved Belgrade", this is a message which arrived at the editorial office of Belgrade Radio B 92 by Internet!

Veran Matic, the Editor-in-Chief of the shut down Radio B 92, will humbly say that neither he nor "his" independent radio station have "saved Belgrade", but that they have participated in "awakening the citizens", this he admits!

Foreign journalists, the number of whom in Belgrade is daily increasing because of the classical robbery of the election victory in several big Serbian cities, have already christened Radio B 92 the "Belgrade Cock": due to restricted news on developments in the streets and squares of the cities of Serbia, Radio B 92, with a little help from students' Radio Index, was the only electronic media which followed demonstrations, offered timely information and responded to latent threats of the authorities that they would silence it - with the truth about the events in Serbia. It was a "sweet" challenge which the authorities could not resist: on tuesday, on the fifteenth day of the protests around Serbia, Milan Topalovic, Director of the Federal Ministry for Transportation and Communications, informed the editorial staff of Radio B 92 with a fax that until further notice, he was banning its operation because it had no adequate permit. Of course, Director Topalovic, in his generosity, informed the proscribed journalists of the popular "Ninety Two" that he would forgive them if they had "a valid agreement with Radio-television Serbia" on the use of its channel, and if they sent him "the accompanying documents and a copy of the agreement"!

Reactions of the domestic public can be, mildly speaking, described as - dramatic. Although in its reporting during the past eight days about the demonstrations in Serbia, Radio B 92 was "stifled" and jammed to such an extent that ten per cent of the population of Belgrade at the most could actually hear it, eager for true information, because the other, especially electronic media under surveillance of the authorities, were "window-dressing" the truth, people became so attached to this radio station that the listeners simply raced to help the "unfortunate" ones who were receiving strange noises instead of the signal of B 92 to hear the truth: they suggested that instead of a classical aerial, a two-metre long wire be connected to the radio set; there were attempts to plug on to TV aerials which had to be in a horizontal position, because "jamming was vertical"; someone "attached" an ordinary potato on the top of the aerial... The day after Radio B 92 was closed down, telephones in the editorial offices went white hot: an elderly man threatened that he would blow himself up together with his house; numberless are those who could not express their support because they were choking with tears; and in the streets of Belgrade, protesting marches continue for more than two weeks, in which, depending on the weather, between 70 and 200 thousand people take part. The day after Radio B 92 was silenced, Belgrade broke its record: according to foreign reporters there were a few hundred thousand, and according to domestic connoisseurs of circumstances in the "streets" and according to police hints, there were more than 250 thousand people who stopped the longest in front of the building in which the small crew of Radio B 92 works!

But, a few could have expected such sharp reactions from abroad. With speed which could be compared with that of a meteor, vehement reactions arrived from the State Department, the Foreign office, the IFJ (International Federation of Journalists), numerous journalists' associations from around the world, and central contributions were broadcast by NBC, SKY, NTV, ZDH, and CNN even interrupted its regular program in order to broadcast an exclusive contribution from Belgrade. Via Internet, but not only via this network, Radio B 92 received thousands of letters and messages of support. Cathy Morton, President of the Committee for Protection of Journalists (who is also the wife of Richard Holbrooke) announced her visit to Belgrade for Friday. Numerous Clubs of Friends of B92 were also involved in the campaign, from those from the Netherlands, to the one in New York which in the meantime transformed into a foundation.

In the official Belgrade circles - complete silence. Except for Aleksandar Tijanic, who was informed about the "case" by Veran Matic, the Editor-in-Chief of Radio B 92, nobody, at least not officially, gave a statement. From the people close to the authorities, one can learn, nevertheless, that the decision about "silencing" of B 92 was reached in the Milosevic-Markovic family circle. It happened, it is interesting, on Sunday when comrade Mira Markovic, by the official plane belonging to the Government of FRY, returned from a private visit (presentation of her book) to India; that same evening, Dragan Tomic, Chairman of the Serbian parliament, qualified participants in the protest as "fascists"; that same night the decision was reached to put Belgrade independent electronic media "in order"!

Aleksandar Tijanic, who is also a close friend of comrade Mira Markovic and who is the current Minister of information in Serbia, is persistently defending himself that his "Ministry has nothing to do with it"! Stating even that he did not know about any independent media in Serbia having problems, in a recent interview to the Voice of America, he said that this did not refer to his Ministry! It is self-understood that after closing down of Radio B 92, he did not even call the editorial staff as the minister in charge could have been expected to do. And just a couple of weeks before that, when Radio B 92 informed the listeners that the demonstrators let the jeep of Aleksandar Tijanic pass thanks to the fact that a hand appeared from its window with the raised "three fingers", the Minister did call the editorial staff of the Radio B 92 and recommended the following verbal action:

"Fuck yourselves!"

"Shall we publish this?", asked the journalist calmly.

"You don't have to", replied the upset Minister!

Threatened status of Radio B 92 has been topical practically ever since its foundation! Latent threat of "stifling" and "silencing" is present from 15 May 1989, when this radio got a permit for broadcasting for a fortnight, and everything "in honour" of the last celebration of Tito's birthday. The following year, B 92 got a permit from the RTS for an experimental period of six months, and the contract has never been formalized. This might have been the result of the fact that Radio B 92 actively covered the events on 9 March 1991, when policemen broke into the editorial offices and interrupted the program. These commandoes among media from this radio station in the meantime initiated action for legalization of light narcotics, as well as legalization of prostitution, demanded interruption of prosecution of homosexuals, organized the protest of young mothers who took their babies for a "walk" to Milosevic's office.

Along with broadcasting its regular program, this Radio Station is nowadays an active publisher, it has a TV and DC production, it is an Internet provider, it runs the alternative cultural centre "Rex", and in the past two days, after closing down, it is printing 25 thousand copies of a bulletin with information it cannot broadcast! At the same time, until the ban of broadcasting is lifted, Radio B 92 will broadcast its program on the channels of the Voice of America, Deutcshe Welle, Radio Free Europe, and it print parts of its production in a few Belgrade independent journals. There are announcements that the RTS will "re-examine the situation", because, the latest statement from within says that they are appalled by the fact that Radio B 92 "does not operate"!

The "Belgrade Cock", therefore, still operates!

(AIM) Slavisa Lekic