10. 11. 2008

CROWDED AIR ABOVE SERBIA

In three years the Republic Broadcasting Agency will issue 450 broadcasting licences

In most of the cases, decisions of the Council are unanimous. But there were some unfair decisions, although their origin cannot be identified because of secret vote

Belgrade, November 10, 2008 (Danas) – During the last two months, the Republic Broadcasting Agency has issued 56 decisions on prohibition of broadcasting to radio and television stations in Serbia. At the same time, many media outlets continue to broadcast their programme, although they are obliged by law. Penalties for pirates range from 300.000 to one million dinars.

Slobodan Djoric, member of the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency, says in an interview for Danas that the repeated public contest for regional, Belgrade and local broadcasters will be finished before the end of the year, and that the air "will be closed" until the digitalization of broadcasting, except in certain cases.

- During these three years, 450 licences will be issued. In most of the cases, decisions made by the Council were unanimous. There were certain unfair decisions, but their origin cannot be identified because of the secret vote. There were also some mistakes in the Plan of Allocation of Frequencies. This is the case with Svilajnac and some other municipalities, but we will rectify these issues together with the Republic Telecommunication Agency in the following months. Unfortunately, choosing between law and justice, sometimes the Council had to give precedence to the former, says Djoric.

Talking about modifications to the Broadcasting Law, Djoric explains that they will not jeopardize previously issued broadcasting licences or introduce new broadcasters, "because there is no space left for them". In his words, modifications to the Law may take RTS and RTV out from the current legal regulations, change the structure of the Council of the RBA, confirm or cancel the privatization of local public service broadcasters, and modify the provisions on monitoring and penalties if there is a good reason for that.

- But modifications of this Law cannot establish an integrally organized broadcasting system, nor provide basis for digitalization of broadcasting, says Djoric.

He points out that the Council of the RBA cannot afford to lose the battle against the pirate stations, whatever the cost, because that "would turn bring us back to the era of media chaos". In his words, the Republic Broadcasting Agency and the Republic Telecommunication Agency are in a "hunt" for pirates who change locations of their transmitters, their addresses... At the moment, around 60 of them are reported.

- Some of them have already been submitted to courts, and penalties range from 300.000 to one million dinars, says Djoric.

One of the television stations that were denied a broadcasting licence is the TV Svitel from Svilajnac, which has left this town without its TV channel.

Miroslav Starinac, director of this TV station, says for Danas that TV Svitel has not applied for a licence because it had already been planned that Svilajnac would be locally covered in the channel 32. However, after the allocation of frequencies, TV Sat from Pozarevac has won the broadcasting channel.

- We have submitted to the authorities the initiatives made by the municipalities Batocina, Svilajnac, Raca, as well as the Democratic Party and G17 Plus, stating that our TV station should have a frequency. The Republic Telecommunication Agency replied that the Republic Broadcasting Agency is authorized to organize contest. After that, the RBA suggested us that TV Svitel should find a technical solution, and we have done that. Our experts proposed that TV Svitel may broadcast its programme on the channel 44, but the Republic Telecommunication Agency has not replied to our proposal. Later, the Telecommunication Agency sent us a note informing us that changes perhaps will be realized after the completion of all contests for licences, explains Starinac.

Starinac points out that he will fight with all legal means to win a broadcasting licence for TV Svitel, so that "the mistake can rectified".

Vuk Mirkovic, the editor in chief of the Radio Kosmos from Lazarevac, which was also denied a broadcasting licence, and whose door was "sealed" few days ago explains for Danas that the radio station had 15 employees until September 1, when they were forced to stop working.

- At the moment we have five employees, because we had to dismiss nine of them, says Mirkovic and adds that Kosmos began broadcasting again on September 8, even after receiving the decision on closure of the radio station. However, he says that representatives of the RBA "have sealed the door" of the radio last week, although they had hoped that the decision would be changed and the frequency issued. In his words, radio Kosmos stands out among other stations because of a very diverse programming, from service and news programmes to sports.

Mirkovic points out that he has contacted all relevant institutions because of the denial of the broadcasting licence, as well as the president, the Government of Serbia, the RBA and the Republic Telecommunication Agency, "but everything was in vain".

Digitalization will bring competition

"Current analog distribution system has around 1.200 television stations and more than 800 radio channels, which means around 2.000 frequencies verified by the Allocation Plan issued by the Ministry of Telecommunication. After the transition to digital broadcasting, this number might increase to 10.000, while the number of possible broadcasters, in accordance with current legislation, could exceed 2.000. Serbian media and advertising market could not sustain such invasion, and existing broadcasters would be destroyed by domestic and foreign competition. Current legal broadcasters should not be afraid of losing their licence, but of possible entry of new competition to their advertising market", says Slobodan Djoric.