[spectre] delay of new Broadcast Act in Serbia

[Drazen Pantic]

via <nettime>
----- Forwarded message from mediawatch@lists.opennet.org -----
Subject: AN APPEAL TO THE INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL PUBLIC


AN APPEAL TO THE INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL PUBLIC

We would like to advise you that the final version of the draft Broadcast
Act was submitted to the Serbian Government four months ago.

This model legislation was drafted, on the initiative of the Association of
Independent Serbian Journalists, by an expert group brought together by the
Media Centre and the Yugoslav Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights, with
expert consultancy from the OSCE and the Council of Europe and broad public
discussion among broadcasters and media experts.

The final version of the draft is generally assessed as being in line with
European standards in the field.

We are unaware of any legal reasons for the Serbian Government=EDs delay in
considering this law and tabling it in Parliament.

There are in fact pressing reasons to do so, with technical and media chaos
in Serbian broadcasting constantly worsening, with hundreds of new
broadcasters since October 5, 2001, threatening total collapse of both the
airwaves and the advertising market.  The victims of this situation are the
independent media who were repressed under the former regime by repression
of the media space and a discriminatory advertising market.

We are against any stop-gap solutions which, lacking any legislative
structure, bring new or different privileges.  We seek fair competition
under legal criteria and the revocation of privileges which have been
acquired through political loyalties.

The current situation, which the Serbian Government has no justification
for tolerating, suits those media which have developed and expended on the
basis of the privileges they still enjoy.

Because of the continuation of the situation from the Milosevic era, the
transformation of the state television network is unable to proceed, while
the independent and private media who contributed to change are in urgent
need of justice and regulations, and not reward for courage.

The responsibility for al the consequences in the broadcasting sector lies
solely with the Serbian Government.


With respect,


NUNS (Association of Independent Serbian Journalists), Gordana Susa

ANEM (Association of Independent Electronic Media =F1 84 radio and TV member
stations ),
Veran Matic

SPEKTAR (Association of Private Broadcasters =F1 70 radio and TV member
stations),
Slavica Corbic

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