18. 10. 2004

Program in Croatian dumped

NOVI SAD, October 18, 2004 (B92) – The state media’s TV Novi Sad has removed from its schedule a program in the Croatian language, the fourth time it has done so. The program, under its new title “On the Croatian Trail” was scheduled to resume broadcasting on Sunday afternoon, following the summer break. Programming director Dusica Dulic told media that the program had been dropped because contractual arrangements were still not complete because of an oversight by TV Novi Sad. She indicated however, that the existing contract was still valid. “The contract has not been changed, so it’s not as though we’re starting from the beginning or as if there had been no previous contract,” she said. The director of “Croatian Word” and the program’s new producer, Zvonimir Perusic, says that the new contract has not been drawn up. “The contract doesn’t exist, only promises. They tell me to just make the program, send the tapes and everything will be all right, but when it comes to execution of the program they say there’s no contract. The president of the Croatian National Council, Josip Ivanovic, said that the case would be reported to the newly-established Minorities Council, B92 correspondent Larisa Inic reports.