12. 12. 2006

SERBIAN-LANGUAGE TV SHOW MARKS DECADE ON AIR

WASHINGTON, December 12, 2006 (B92, VOA) - Voice of America's (VOA) Serbian-language television program, Open Studio, marks the show's tenth year on the air.

"Open Studio" is a daily half-hour newscast featuring information on the United States, Serbia, the Balkans, and the world.

"Ten years ago VOA helped a war-torn society by broadcasting unbiased news at a pivotal time," said VOA Serbian Service Chief Maja Drucker. "The challenges have changed, but VOA remains an essential source of reliable news and information. Our audience tunes in to get the facts straight."

Open Studio, originally entitled America Calling Serbia, was first broadcast in 1996 in the wake of massive demonstrations in Serbia against election tampering under the Milosević regime. In an effort to censor coverage of the demonstrations, the Milosević government shut down independent media in Serbia, including radio station B92.

VOA responded by expanding its broadcasts and by joining forces with B92, whose broadcasts continued through VOA’s airwaves.
 
Today, VOA's Open Studio is rebroadcast by 53 television stations in the region: 45 in Serbia and Montenegro, six in Bosnia Herzegovina, one in Kosovo, and one in Macedonia.