Working in the interests of its members, but also the entire media sector, ANEM has set, as one of its primary goals, the improvement of the regulatory framework that enables media to develop in accordance with democratic, professional and ethical standards. ANEM also aims for the establishment of a healthy media market and a favorable environment for the development of electronic as well as other media. ANEM gathers around its goals more than 100 stations, which have the status of full or affiliate members. Almost a quarter of all issued broadcasting licenses were granted to the ANEM members. Today ANEM stands for the largest association of electronic media in Serbia, which enjoys the reputation and respect of both other media associations and the authorities.
Benefits of ANEM membership are multiple, and most important are the following:
- Free legal assistance
In collaboration with its longtime partner, law firm, "Zivkovic & Samardzic", ANEM provides its members with free legal advice and legal assistance in the field of application and respect of laws and regulations relevant to the media. Members are provided with timely information and expert advices that help to align their work with current regulations but also to protect their rights and interests in the best possible way. Highly professional legal assistance, available free-of-charge, facilitates the resolving of many problems that the stations face with. At the same time, lawyers of this office, who have expert knowledge and extensive experience in the field of media laws and other relevant legal fields, facilitate ANEM by providing their legal advices and suggestions, to create requests to competent authorities in a high-quality, expert and legally-based way. This contributes to better results of all activities of the Association and strengthens reputation of ANEM as a professional organization that properly protects the interest of its membership.
- Advocacy aiming to improve the position of broadcasters
ANEM advocacy activities are always guided by the needs of its members and are carried out in their best interests. However, by advocating for their better position, ANEM is also acting in the interests of other broadcasters and the entire sector. ANEM has a long tradition of advocating for media reforms that lead to improving the position of broadcasters in the media scene. Clearly defined requests and quality, professional and concrete proposals, contributed to the successful implementation of these activities and better reputation of the Association. Due to it, ANEM is recognized as one of the most determined and most respectable organizations both by competent authorities and professional community, namely as an organization that can make a change and move things forward.
- Better positioning of members before authorities
ANEM believes that it is important to ensure as good as possible position of its members, no matter how difficult current circumstances are. Therefore, through its activities, ANEM strives to help them to improve their position. ANEM manages to gain benefits facilitating the position of the membership through direct contacts and negotiating with relevant authorities, suggestions and the concrete legally-based and feasible requests. Negotiating position of ANEM is additionally built thanks to the strength and reputation of the Association itself; the membership to ANEM means an extra quality for each member station.
- Reaction and protection in case of violations of media freedoms and freedom of expression
Starting from the fact that the respect for media freedoms and freedom of expression is the precondition for working in the media sphere, ANEM monitors the implementation and exercise of these freedoms on daily basis and adequately reacts in case of their violation, especially considering its membership. By issuing public statements and distributing them to a number of addresses, ANEM focuses the public attention and increases public pressure on the competent authorities, which often results in preventing further violations of these freedoms or more serious consequences. Thanks to good cooperation with other media associations, ANEM, through joint statements and joint actions, further protects its members in case of serious violations of these freedoms.
- Networking and cooperation between stations
ANEM membership is rather diverse: local and regional, small and big, radio and TV stations, so the interaction and exchange of experiences is very important for the development and improvement of operations of each station individually. Enabling different forms of cooperation, ANEM contributes to easier overcoming of the problems that the stations are facing with in their work. At the same time, each of the stations promotes ANEM activities in its local community and thus contributes to the strengthening of the impact of the Association.
- Program exchange and free program production
Striving to help its stations to obtain quality content for broadcast easily, ANEM engages in finding and distributing of program production for the purpose of the stations' free broadasting. ANEM also encourages the exchange of programs between the stations. In addition, in cooperation with professional production teams, ANEM produces high-quality radio and TV programs, which members can broadcast free-of-charge. This way, the Association contributes to improvement of the quality of their program offers.
- Building capacities of members
Aiming to strengthen the capacities of its member, ANEM strives to organize free trainings and courses (workshops) in various fields that its members find important. Workshops are aimed at clarifications of doubts and provide concrete answers to questions that appear in practice as a problem. By ensuring the participation of representatives of relevant competent authorities, as well as the quality speakers, ANEM offers its members a possibility to get the right answers and expert guidance of those most competent for the respective area, to solve their problems. At the same time, the stations are provided with a unique opportunity to advocate by themselves, for improvement of their situation through direct meetings with the authorities at these workshops.
Besides, the Association enables its members to participate in ANEM production projects - their journalists have opportunity to acquire new experience, knowledge and skills through practical work and collaboration with experienced media professionals, through which capacities for their future independent work is built.
ANEM constantly works on strengthening its capacities, through encouraging the building of the capacity of its member stations. ANEM directs its activities to give necessary assistance and services to its members, at the same time working on the creation of general conditions for their progress.
ANEM is always open to admission of new members - the founders of radio and TV stations, as well as on-line media. Those whose station/media follows the highest professional and ethical principles, has a rich program, quality news content, including investigative journalism, and provides citizens with timely, truthful and complete information in its local community, are able to join. The final decision on the full membership, which creates policy and direction of development of the Association, is made by the Managing Board of the association.
