AS PARTY SAYS

Whose is B&H Radio-Television

AIM Sarajevo, 15 January, 1997

Whose is Radio-Television of Bosnia & Herzegovina? Does it, according to its program principles, orientation, and personnel structure, belong to the state, the Federation or the Party of Democratic Action (SDA)? These are just some of the questions lately put in public and concerning which SDA-HDZ polemics have been going on, as well as professional discussions, especially among journalists. And although on the one hand these issues are politicized, on the other there are justified reasons and arguments for initiating them.

The question of RTV and its very existence was initiated by representatives of the Croat democratic Community (HDZ) in the authorities, but primarily by the member of B&H Presidency, Kresimir Zubak, who established that B&H television, such as it is, could not fulfill the function it should have had.

The Croat representatives in the authorities found their stances concerning restructuring of B&H RTV on the fact that by Dayton peace accords and its Constitution, Bosnia & Herzegovina is organized as a compound state community of three constituent and equal nations and two entities. But, even after adoption of the state Constitution, B&H RTV remained with the previous, unchanged organization. This issue, according to the opinion of the Croat representatives in the authorities, is exceptionally important among other due to the fact that competences in the sphere of information, pursuant the new Constitution, are dispersed to the level of entities and districts. In other words, establishment of state television of the level of B&H is a matter of political agreement of the highest representatives in the authorities of B&H.

Srecko Vucina, one of the leaders of the Croat Democratic Community and deputy in the federal parliament, believes that television, if it truly wishes to be "state" television, must operate in the interest of its founders, tax payers who are giving money for its financing.

"It is not only collection of the fee that meets the needs of television. By its organization, program principles and starting-points, it must be organized so as to satisfy the needs of all three constituent nations in B&H. How this part of state television should be organized is a matter of agreement, although it does not necessarily eliminate existence of national programs in B&H. It should exactly be known whether B&H TV is privately- or state-owned. If it really is to be state-owned, then it must be that by elements of its organization and program as well", says Vucina.

On the other hand, according to the opinions of some of the leaders of the SDA, time has still not come to discuss restructuring of B&H RTV. As Timur Numic "explains", it cannot be done until media aggression against B&H lasts. When all stations which have not been issued permits for broadcasting program by the B&H Telecommunications Authority are closed down (since according to his opinion on the territory of B&H some stations operate which are trying to endanger its integrity) only then will it be possible to discuss restructuring of B&H RTV.

According to Numic's words, B&H TV should not be observed only as a federal institution: "It is state owned and it is necessary primarily to create conditions in order to be able to discuss it. State TV should cover the entire space of Bosnia & Herzegovina, not only in the technical sense, it must also cover this space in the political sense".

There is no doubt, the idea of state, federal B&H RTV is present among one and the other representatives of the authorities (SDA, HDZ), but there are evidently more than one road to its effectuation, and approaches to this topic are different. Especially because Serb representatives do not even state their opinions about B&H TV, at least not in public. They quite certainly settle for the solution which results from the Dayton accords and which regulates this sphere on the level of entities.

Of course, this topic will still be discussed, it has just been broached only because of insufficient representation of Croat personnel in B&H RTV, especially in information programs. All the editors, according to available data, are Bosniacs, especially editors-in-chief of major information programs, but most of all the central daily news program. It is no secret that there are no more Croats among the journalists either.

Truth to tell, personnel structure has greatly been changed in relation to what it used to be during the war. Many editors, journalists, associates and other members of the staff have left this media, among other because of low salaries. It is highly questionable whether they, being Croats or Serbs, would have been suitable for the authorities anyway, and would have continued doing their jobs in the future state or federal television. In other words, whether they would have had just as much influence as they once used to have on the editorial policy and creation of the program structure. That this is true is shown by a statement of a former editor and journalist of B&H RTV, Vladimir Bilic, who is now an editor of Radio Vrh Bosna, and who says that he left because he had not been working for months, but not because he had not wished to, but because - he was not given anything to do!

Opening of the question whether B&H RTV belongs to the state, or rather the issue of its federal organization, was undoubtedly caused by imminent dissolution of the Croat republic "Herzeg-Bosna", and therefrom reduction of its information system into cantonal limits. It was also caused by the growing awareness about the significance of participation in the organization of the future television whose range would be greater and more significant, and with its contents express equality, present with its programs topics on national language of each of the constituent nations, that is, with editors, announcers and other necessary personnel who are capable of pursuing such program policy and conception.

Radio and Television of Bosnia & Herzegovina, if they shall be state or federal media, quite certainly will be organized according to the wishes of the ruling parties. It remains to be seen whether all three - the SDA, the HDZ and the SDS - will have a say about it, or just the two federal partners - the SDA and the HDZ.

Mirjana MICEVSKA