14. 03. 2005

PROTESTS IN RTV PANCEVO

PANCEVO, March 14, 2005 – Radio Television Pancevo has organized a protest meeting, objecting the current situation in this public company. The Pancevo municipality’s budget is to be adopted until March 17. However, it remains uncertain whether TV Pancevo staff will cover the session of the local assembly or they would interrupt the broadcasting after 10 minutes. TV Pancevo Editor-in-chief Nevena Simendic said that this media house will get the least funds from the budget in comparison to all other public companies. “Others will get 20 percent more money than the last year. Our budget line envisaged the increase of 9.1 percent. We asked for 41 million dinars for business and 12 million for investments, while they proposed only 25.5 millions for regular activities and 4 million for equipment purchase. With this money we can only put the bars on our doors, in the moment when the survey of the renowned marketing agency showed the increase of our TV program ratings for 135 percent”, said Simendic at the meeting. Representatives of all political parties in the council’s majority, Council’s president and his associates have been invited to support the protest, but no one turned up. RTV Pancevo is operating without director of the station for months, which Nevena Simendic regarded as a political pressure on the editorial policy of the house.