ONE FOR ALL IS ENOUGH

The NIS TV in the Service of One Party

Probably interpreting literally Vuk Draskovic's pre-election slogan "One for All and All for One" in its information programme the Nis television (NTV) slowly started "replacing" all other parties with only one - the SPO.

AIM, BELGRADE, October 3, 1997

The once "noisy television" whose echo reached even the ex-president of Serbia, now president of the FRY, Slobodan Milosevic, who several months ago issued an order for silencing this station, has recently, without any pressures, "turned down" its programme and made it a ghost copy of the famous RTS. The only difference between the original and its pale copy is in the party sign. While in the last-year's pre-election campaign the original carried the SPS "trademark", the copy from Nis has the SPO sign.

The founder of TV Nis is the Municipal Assembly in which the delegates of the coalition "Zajedno" (DS and SPO) are in the majority. The Municipal Board of the Democratic Party announced the replacement of the Belgrade journalist Vojkan Milenkovic, NTV's Editor-in-Chief: "Milenkovic behaves as Dick Holliday and has completely lost orientation as regards his powers. He tried to forbid Zoran Zivkovic, the Mayor (DS), to issue a statement regarding the demand of the SPO delegates for his resignation or to be relieved of duty", explains the reasons for such a move of the Nis Democrats, Aleksandar Krstic, their President.

According to him, Milenkovic was appointed the NTV's Editor after the "SPO Presidency had submitted its ultimatum" which the Nis Democrats accepted "believing that he will behave professionally and fairly".

Vladimir Pavlovic, Spokesman for the Nis Democrats, is categorical in his claim that Milenkovic has destroyed the NTV and that he therefore "has to go". "It is clear to everyone that this man has destroyed the NTV. The fact that he has turned television into 'Vukovision' should even make the SPO people worried", says Pavlovic.

The announced replacement of the NTV's Editor-in-Chief has come at the time when the Nis coalition "Zajedno" is breaking at its seams. The one-time coalition, for which its members claimed that it could serve as an example to the others, got a direct blow from the party headed by a man who would like to become "one for all".

The SPO delegates launched an initiative for the replacement of Zivkovic, Mayor of Nis and DS Vice-President. Although the initiative has not yet been submitted in a form of a formal request for a debate in the Nis Assembly, it has shaken the once stable and, primarily, friendly, coalition "Zajedno", as its members frequently call it.

The new public demonstration of the disunion followed after the demand of the Nis Democrats for Milenkovic's removal: "We shall defend Milenkovic with all means. The attack of GLODUR NTV represents the undermining and destruction of the coalition "Zajedno"", claims Branislav Jovanovic, President of the Municipal Government and Vice-President of the SPO's District Board in Nis.

His party colleague, President of the SPO's Board for Nis, Ninoslav Stojadinovic says that the NTV's programme has significantly improved with Milenkovic's arrival. "He has sacrified everything he had in Belgrade and came to Nis to work for a pittance. Milenkovic's personnel policy is guided by qualities and not by party affiliation", says Stojadinovic and illustrates his fair personnel policy with a fact that Deputy Editor-in-Chief became a journalist who last year held a high position in the Municipal Board of the SPS.

A "great professional", Milenkovic doesn't yet want to comment on the events he has caused by his work. He has announced a press conference, but adds that not a single accusation of the Nis Democrats is true, but on the contrary, that the NTV rating and programme quality have increased after he became the NTV's first man.

"Accusations against me are a consequence of the reflections of the "Syndrome of Lule" on the Mayor of Nis. He has mixed things up", says Milenkovic. The syndrome which Milenkovic has diagnosed with the Mayor of Nis, is a broad hint at the recent assault of Bratislav Mitic Lule (who likes to call himself the king of the Nis underground) against the Mayor Zivkovic. On that occasion "the king of the Nis underground" hit the Nis Mayor on the head in the middle of the best known Nis cafe. This open attack against the Mayor has not yet come to court.

How much Milenkovic (who has made his career on the RTS) appreciates and respects Lule, who does not shrink even from attacking the Mayor, can be illustrated by a lengthy programme prepared about the life and work of Bratislav Mitic, also a informal member of the security staff of Nis Socialists. According to the NTV sources, Milenkovic ordered the filming of a special programme about Lule for which four hours of tape have already been made. Milenkovic himself will do the editing.

After such special programmes the quality of the NTV production will surely register an "increase". However, the question remains who is favouring the crime on NTV and what are its connections with the Serbian Revival Movement which has become a trademark of this television and which claims to be a democratic party committed to cleansing Serbia of the crime.

Simultaneously with the gradual withering of the local coalition and its unity, there proceeds a process of transforming the NTV into a one party television. The problem which people implementing this process have, is poor memory. Namely, even before the local coalition "Zajedno" came to power, this television was in exclusive use of one party (SPS), whose present presidential candidate Zoran Lilic is sending messages all over Serbia about bright and beautiful future ahead of us and how becoming are the black moustaches. But, precisely such a television contributed to poor results of its party tutor at the last local elections in Serbia.

Zoran Kosanovic (AIM)