29. 08. 2008

WARNING TO ILLEGAL BROADCASTERS

RRA and RATEL warned radio and TV stations which did not receive licenses to cease broadcasting by August 31.

Belgrade, August 29, 2008 (B92) – The Republic Radio-Diffusion Agency (RRA) and the Republic Agency for Telecommunications (RATEL) warned all radio and TV stations in Serbia which were not allocated licenses for program broadcasting that they were legally bound to cease all work by August 31.

The explanation was that the tenders for the allocation of frequencies were being closed that day and that those functioning without permission afterwards would be sued, and if needed, their work would be discontinued.

„We have people and the equipment. In colaboration with RRA, we will put the decision into practice. That means that we will carry out a synchronized action, which will disable those without licenses from being on air“, says Jovan Radunović, the president of the RATEL executive board.

„It is our plea to all potential future bidders to cease working, because, as you know, one of the tender criteria is broadcasters’ conduct in the previous period“, said Goran Karadžić, the deputy president of the RRA Council.

„All those who do not stop working on August 31 will have a great disadvantage and can hardly expect to be allocated a license in any future tender“, claimed he.

No pressure

Deputy president of the RRA Council, Goran Karadžić, denounced the allegations of the president of Preševo municipality, Ragmi Mustafa, reported by certain Belgrade media, that the announced close-down of TV Preševo meant pressure on the Albanian population.

“TV Preševo was not allocated a frequency at the tender. Their complaint was not accepted. RRA has taken a stand that no exception or possiblity of political pressure would exist, which Mustafa has recently referred to, drawing parallels with Kosovo events in the 90’s“, declared Karadžić at a press conference.

He asserted that that was “absolutely impossible, but that it was also unfeasible to allow a station to continue working just because it was in a certain part of Serbia, whereas the stations in Zrenjanin, Nova Varoš, or anywhere else would have to be closed down.”

On Wednesday, Mustafa was informed by RATEL that the TV Preševo transmitter would not be disconected that day, as it had been planned, but later.

Neither was radio „Glas crkve“ (serb. Voice of the Church) allocated a frequency, and it will cease work from August 31, after 11 years of broadcasting.