TO PREDOMINANCE WITH THE HELP OF EXPLOSIVES

New Media Strategy of Pale

AIM Banja Luka, 23 October, 1997

In order to prevent reception of signals from the Banja Luka tv studio via Udrigovo transmitters controlled by SFOR and its emitting to the eastern part of Republica Srpska, "unknown persons" destroyed a transmitters of the Serb Radio-Television (SRT) in Bijeljina a few days ago by planting explosives. Immediately after that, by inspection of Veliki Zep transmitter, SFOR established that equipment was stollen from it, so that it will not be possible to emit any signal from it.

At the same time, in the part of RS controlled by the Pale lobby, the authorities are giving away left and right high-power transmitters to local radio-stations which are then interconnected and all carry information prepared by the team of SRT loyal to Pale. The strategy of Pale is quite clear: to interconnect the dismembered system of the SRT via local media and put it in the service of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS). Velibor Ostojic, vice prime minister of RS and the man who is in charge of the media and party propaganda, is persistently trying to include some municipalities from the Bosnian Krajina into the system. That is why, a few days ago, he gave a one-kilowatt transmitters as a "gift" to the local radio in Kotor Varos, which had been by his order snatched away from this very radio-station after the parliamentary and presidential elections last year and given to the Orthodox Radio St. John owned by Sonja Karadzic, daughter of former SDS leader Radovan Karadzic. The "gift" was conditioned by becoming part of the system of local radio stations which broadcast program made to measure of Pale.

Leaders of the SDS also negotiated with Vladimir Simic, owner of a TV station from Banja Luka to subject his concept to the interests of Pale, which has already done. A channel was urgently found for Simic's radio station which, by model of the one in Pale, would be editted by the former editor-in-chief of Serb Radio Milivoj Tutnjevic.

The fact that Serb Oslobodjenje has suddenly become a daily should also be observed in the context of domination of the SDS over the media space of RS. That is how RS now has two daily newspapers which are both directly supervised by Momcilo Krajisnik. Although with a meagre contents and bad technical looks, it is certain that the aim of the recent "resurrection" of Serb Oslobodjenje is to try to re-establish confidence of the people in SDS. The change from weekly to daily publication can also be observed as the fear of Pale of Glas Srpski, editted by Gordan Matrak, falling under the influence of Biljana Plavsic. This can be expected, honestly speaking, as soon as the new city assembly of Banja Luka is constituted, which will return this media to the city of Banja Luka since it had been taken away from it by Gordam Matrak with the hlep of his superiors in Pale. For the time being this is the only way to change the editorial concept of this journal and to bring people to it who will abide by the rules of the profession, contrary to the current editorial team.

The media space in Republica Srpska is nowadays, like itself, divided into zones of influence of the president of the entity Biljana Plavsic and the Serb member of the B&H presidency, Momcilo Krajisnik.

The Banja Luka studio of Serb Television suddenly changed its editorial policy in August, turning its antennas in the direction of Biljana Plavsic, previously most frequently disputed personage in the political life of B&H. At the same time, the same journalists turned all available means with great vehemence against the "president from RS" in the B&H presidency, Momcilo Krajisnik. The shift was mostly initiated by the coordinator in the studio in Banja Luka, Radomir Neskovic, who had previously been dismissed from the post ny director general of SRT Miroslav Toholj. After he had been dismissed, Neskovic nominated a collegiate body which editted the informative and political program of the Banja Luka studio. Neskovic used to be a verified cadre of the Serb Democratic Party and a member of its Main Board. After having come from Sarajevo to Banja Luka, he did many jobs in the interest of the Pale leadership. In the meantime he "grew" into an equally influential man who the Serb National League and Biljana Plavsic rely on.

Belgrade agreement between Plavsic and Krajisnik imposed by Slobodan Milosevic, which sometimes elevates the two signatories to heights even above the Dayton peace accords, prescribes alternate broadcasts of programs from Pale and from Banja Luka. During the short time while the system according to the Belgrade agreement operated, the eastern part of RS was often "suddenly" left without electric power while the news and political program was broadcast from the Banja Luka studio. Biljana Plavsic, therefore, could not get past Modrica. On the other hand, applying the same methods, the authorities loyal to Plavsic turned off the power in transmitters they controlled and made up stories about failures in transmission at the time Momcilo Krajisnik, Velibor Ostojic, Gojko Klickovic, were on the screen.

Inclination of the international community towards Biljana Plavsic and a few serious omissions of the editorial team from Pale were sufficient for the SFOR to put transmissions of SRT from the eastern part under their control. Having been conquered, the transmitters were given to the Banja Luka studio controlled by Plavsic. Frequent power failures, technical trouble and interference in the eastern part of RS started again.

Having realized that it was no longer funny and that they had lost control of the media space even in the eastern part of Republica Srpska, director general of SRT, Miroslav Toholj, in cooperation with the president of the Management Board of Serb electronic media Momcilo Krajisnik, made a plan for removal of the Pale studio to Bijeljina and started broadcasting illegal TV program. The signal was transmitted via Veliki Zep near Han Pijesak and the same old story continued: against Biljana Plavsic, and everything "in the name and in the interest of the people". This was all happening at the time when all relevant representatives of the international community were at the session of the contact group in Rome. Thanks to the circumstanmces, the hardcore faction of technicians and journalists from Pale won in the two episodes. But, then, SFOR arrived, turned off the illegal signal coming from Veliki Zep and stated conditions for deblocking the transmitter: director general, entire Management Board headed by Krajisnik must be dismissed, and the editorial policy must be coordinated with the international demands.

Driven to the wall, media power wielders from Pale found refuge in sabotage. The program of Banja Luka studio was interrupted and returned inside the territory controlled by Biljana Plavsic. The war between political factions and the game with the international community continues.

Rade RASTANIN