N1 TV news director: REM decision a clear political message

N1

The decision of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) to award national broadcasting licenses to television stations Pink, Happy, Prva and B92 is a clear political message, N1 TV news director Igor Bozic said.

“Even though the REM Council chair asked us not to say that these are political messages, the political message is clear – nothing changes in Serbia and, when it comes to informing the public, no one has any intention of changing anything,” Bozic said after REM announced its decision.

He said the message can be interpreted as leading to a conclusion that owners of television stations that were awarded the licenses had promised to continue working as they have so far, ensuring that “the future is certain for the people who rule this country.”

Commenting on the fact that the television stations’ previous work was not taken into account when assessing their performance, Bozic noted that many legal experts said this was against the law.

He added that the REM has the discretionary right to decide as it wishes if it has a majority, but noted that this body is not independent in this kind of decision-making.

Bozic said he “can’t wait” to see the decision rationale due, according to REM Council chair Olivera Zekic, in a few days’ time, and urged the public to get acquainted with presentations submitted by the television stations.