MONEY AND MENTAL HEALTH

Media in Voivodina

While new municipal authorities in Novi Sad are planning establishment of a city radio and television station, and a daily, publication of Nezavisni weekly was temporarily interrupted because of lack of money

AIM Belgrade, 9 April, 1997

Mediawise, Novi Sad looks just as it looked all these past years: it has state-owned remannts of former provincial public media loyal to central authorities; it has no radio station, no television, no daily of its own. New city authorities (Together coalition) are just on the point of planning to establish them. The only thing that is new is that there is no Nezavisni any more.

When four weeks ago Novi Sad weekly Nezavisni failed to appear at news-stands and when its "temporary close-down" actually began, everything happened quite in accordance with the mentality, quietly, with no big words and no protests. Citizens of Novi Sad are famous for not getting too excited over anything, and everything in this city passes without much agitation: in Novi Sad people are just slightly taken aback and - that is all.

Since it was quite certain that Nezavisni - Civic Journal of Voivodina - which is the full name of the weekly - has a series of financial problems, along with the rhetoric questions why the weekly was not published, it was possible to hear a compliment or two from platforms of political parties and that of the city Assembly - something like it is a journal which has preserved the mental health of Voivodina in these difficult times - and that was it. Money was not found even to bring back to life the only telephone line of the editorial staff. Cut off because of the debt, telephone operater answers curtly to the question why the telephone is dead. And the minimum condition for the journal to be published again is the telephone.

Unprofitable Independence

It seems that in Novi Sad and Voivodina nobody has money, will or interest to help the journal by at least paying the telephone bill. Its journalists and associates have anyway experienced their work as some kind of unplanned voluntary contribution for development of democracy, booking more than low fees on the account of a better future and hoping that the money would after all arrive some day.

The new president of the Independent Society of Journalists of Voivodina (NDNV) Dimitrije Boarov explains for AIM that it is the matter of "current financial difficulties", and while explaining reasons why Nezavisni is not published, reminds of its beginning: the journal was founded five years ago by journalists gathered in the NDNV, mostly those who were on forced leave or unemployed; the weekly does not have a single permanently employed journalist or a single permanently employed engaged in distribution and sales; it is considered to be a miracle that the team of journalists which has been preparing Nezavisni managed to publish 230 issues during difficult years - which has started up without any working capital, there has never been any political party that backed it, it has never been supported by any political or economic lobby either, and the aid of domestic and foreign foundations was by far below real publication expenses. Nezavisni has met with insurmountable financial problems, says Boarov, for several reasons: it was prepared by a crew of professionals who could not provide for their existence in it, it preserved an absolutely independent position in relation to all interest groups, after change of authorities in Novi Sad the opposition parties united in coalition Together have not shown any interest for survival of the journal which by its very nature could not advocate narrow party interests of any party or political coalition.

"We believe that the space for sale of this journal on the media market of Voivodina exists, despite the fact that a big competition is going on here, primarily, among numerous Belgrade media. And that is the fact - that this space is covered by journals which do not have enough understanding and feeling for interests of citizens in this historical province

• Nezavisni sees a chance for its promotion and survival on the media market", stresses Boarov.

The Management Board of the Independent Society of Journalists of Voivodina promises that it will do its best to preserve Nezavisni, to continue its publication and transform it into a media which will live off its readers.

Glorious Plans

Novi Sad and Voivodina have been in complete media darkness for a long time. It is hard to believe that Nenad Canak and Voivodina coalition won the elections thanks to support in the media. Belgrade journals have neither the space nor the will for treatment of specific Voivodina problems. Provincial media have carefully been destroyed and on their pages the word 'Voivodina' is used very carefully, and the word 'autonomy' unambiguously: only in the way the regime interprets the word. Once independent, Television Novi Sad has been annexed to Serbian state television (RTS). By personnel games - attempt to transform provincial correspondents into editors-in-chief, and then when it is evaluated that this is insufficient, by bringing 'healthy' forces from Belgrade and by alternate application of these two principles - daily Dnevnik has lost its team, its image, its significance, and of course, its readers. For more than five years, the editor-in-chief of Dnevnik is Dragan Radevic who has come from Belgrade Politika, bringing the principles of work of Zika Minovic when he came. This does not mean that the Assembly of Voivodina has renewed his mandate, he is at the post due to negligence. Although this was corrected and the mandate limited to the customary four years, there are still no indications that a new public competition will be published. The Assembly of Voivodina in which the Socialist have the majority, refused a while ago the proposal of the grour of Voivodina coalition deputies to put the discussion on media in Voivodina on the agenda.

The city government of Together coalition plans to establish a local radio station, television and a journal. All things considered, establishment of the city radio station is closest to effectuation. Assessments about the time when the first issue of a city journal could appear in public vary from the optimistic "in the beginning of next month", to cautious and it seems realistic "sometime in autumn". It is interesting that in December, during the protests against the election theft in Belgarde and Serbia, Nezavisni were published and sold well every day. On New Year's eve this stopped. Although the just established city authorities at the time had serious complaints about the work of media close to the socialist regime, the project of Nezavisni obviously did not suit them either. They chose the ambitious possibility: to start from scratch.

Until then, citizens of Novi Sad read what they have: Belgrade journals, and watch what they can - state television, TV Politika and BK Telecom if they are interested in news, and TV Palma and Pink for the illusion of the escape from reality.

Milena Putnik

(AIM)