16. 01. 2014

GREAT PRESSURE BY PUBLISHERS AND ADVERTISERS AGAINST MEDIA

Kragujevac, January 16, 2014 (Beta) - The Serbian media are under great pressure of publishers and advertisers, and the state for years is the largest single advertiser with a share of about 25 percent, said today political science professor Veselin Kljajic.

" The ad market in Serbia is one of the poorest in Europe with approximately 170 million Euros, and it is nothing compared to what is necessary for media," said Kljajic at a public discussion on propaganda and advertising in media in Kragujevac.

He said that at the time of the general commercialization and tabloidization, we have non-transparent media ownership, the complete absence of profitability, unfair competition and the rule of political tabloid in Serbia.

"Privatization which is necessary, with rare exceptions , did not bring capital , especially the so-called pure capital ," said Kljajic.

According to Kljajic Serbia has 509 newspapers, while the Media Sustainability Index is 1.90 on a scale from one to four, and lower than in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Croatia.

"Only 306 (print) media outlets are selling ad space and revenues are such that each can be published for only seven days, so the question is where do they find the money and what are the mechanisms of manipulation ," said Kljajic.

The public discussion on propaganda in advertising in media that was held in Kragujevac was the fifth of 12 scheduled events to be organized within the Campaign for Media Literacy by the Media Coalition which is supported by the US Agency for International Development ( USAID).

Media Coalition is an informal partnership of five media organizations: The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS ), the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS ), the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina ( NDNV ) , Association of Local Independent Media Local Press and ANEM.