CLEANSING OF BULATOVIC'S SUPPORTERS

Resignations in Radio-Television Montenegro

AIM Podgorica, 18 December, 1997

Montenegrin state television, like more or less other media of this type from neighbouring countries, has the misfortune of having to be either "ours" or "theirs". It must always belong to somebody, and never to those who it should really belong to pursuant the Constitution - the citizens. That is why even when the heads of the media submit resignations, they are not caused by unprofessional or inefficient actions of ediotors and directors, but unfortunately, by politics. The latest contribution to this tv dossier was made by the chairman of the management board of Montenegrin state Radio-Television and its director general Predrag Bulatovic and Zoran Jocovic. The title in newspapers printed on the occasion "Montenegrin Television Without Bulatovic's Supporters" is the best illustration and explanation of the background of these moves. Predrag Bulatovic is the vice president of the party of Momir Bulatovic, and Zoran Jocovic is its sympathizer. After RTV was taken over by Djukanovic's supporters last summer, both these men were isolated and practically prevented to work, so that the date of their official withdrawal from the posts was just the matter of political evaluation and tactics.

Radio-Television Montenegro was in a privileged position for years - power of one party was absolute, that party was monolithic, so that the job of state media was merely to promote the ideas and decisions coming from the top. In these lethargic times, when all intentions of the ruling party were carried out, all that the management board had to do was from time to time to conclude that that RTV was "successfully playing its social role and carrying out its determined program according to the plan". After the split in the ruling party, these carefree times have suddenly disappeared.

"The shock in the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) shook up the profession of journalists, but especially that of the editors. Since the split had caught them by surprise, they had quickly to make up their minds and choose the right, winning faction, and that is where some of the masters of adaptation went wrong", comments one of the journalists from this media on the newly created situation, wishing to remain anonymous.

Thanks to prevalence of Djukanovic's supporters in the Management Board, Television became reformist, although majority of its employees have remained conservative sticking to Bulatovic's retrograde platform. But, it is always possible to find the minimum of man-power to keep the production process going. Even when reform is concerned.

After the editor-in-chief Asanin and his deputy Labudovic, the pioneers of the so-called patriotic journalism in Montenegro, were relieved of duty, Milorad Djurkovic, known sports commentator was brought to the leading editor's post, who had always been close to prime minister Djukanovic. The new editor came and along with him new rhetoric, although with the same protagonists. Although in some cases this made the impression of an unbelievable dream, it was interesting to observe members of Labudovic's team skilfully handling terms such as European, democratic, unbending and what not Montenegro. They did the job, especially in the presidential campaign, the only way they could, obtrusively and awkwardly, resorting most frequently to complete ignoring of the political group around Momir Bulatovic. Political antagonisms were, therefore, strained to the utmost, and the unprecedented hue and cry of Belgrade state media against the democratic coalition headed by Djukanovic, spared for some time TV Montenegro sharp criticism and judgement of the spectators who were forced for such a long time to watch war tv news and obscure quibbles of the mentioned former editor Labudovic.

"Such a program and such awkward behavior of old personnel in new costumes was counter-productive for Djukanovic and the reformist block, and this very propagandist approach caused sharp polarisation and division of Montenegro", claims Milan Popovic, politicologist from Podgorica, and concludes, "the group around Momir Bulatovic skilfully used this, first, by taking it as a pretext for frantic propaganda via Belgrade regime media, and then, by taking it as just another piece of evidence of autocratic behavior of Djukanovic, who allegedly controls everything, from money to Television".

But, since Montenegro is again, or rather constantly heading towards elections, Television must also make up its mind. Parliamentary elections are scheduled for spring which might be an opportunity for its antennas to turn towards all the citizens of Miontenegro. On the contrary, in accordance with the current political polarisation, a much more dangerous one may occur - in the sphere of information which could culminate in known actions of seizing and redirecting transmitters towards only one's "own" voters. By submitting their resignations, Bulatovic's men wished not only to precede the inevitable replacements which would befall them at the forthcoming session of the parliament, but also to send a political message that they would not readily and easily settle down and accept the existing editorial concept of state media. Swords will yet be crossed because of television.

The new law on information will certainly not be very pleasant for the parties, but it will at least prevent election results from establishing such rigid absolute control of the media. What it will actually be like in practice, especially in the overheated local situation, it is hard to tell. It is only certain that state Television will remain to be of utmost importance and nobody will give it up easily. Television itself with its stereotypical program, without new faces and ideas, full of variances in the editorial board, with obsolete equipment, low salaries - is waiting for the final denouement and sentence, staying somehow aloof.

"Such as it is it can be of no use to anyone. It can be a millstone around the neck of anyone it will work for", says our anonymous interlocutor. Radio Montenegro which is not mentioned in this story, has no problems - because almost nobody ever listens to it. In a recent opinion poll of the students, it turned out that audibility of Radio Montenegro in this population amounts to the fantastic 0 (zero) per cent. Private and local radio stations have left it far behind a long time ago and in every sense, so that it is just barely surviving. As concerning Pobjeda, the only state daily newspaper, it has manifested much greater vitality than Radio Montenegro and to the appearance of the new daily Vijesti, it is reacting with significant innovations and positive adaptations to the newly created circumstances.

This is all just make-up, because everything still depends on the will of the politicians. If they change in the positive sense, this trend is followed by state media, and vice versa. The only possibility to save Television and state media is privatisation. Only privatisation can bring about the end of the monopoly and propagandist role of these media", Dr Popovic concludes.

Radovan Miljanic

AIM Podgorica