05. 05. 2005

RADIO 021 IN PRIVATE OWNERSHIP

NOVI SAD, May 5, 2005 – Novi Sad’s “Radio 021” has become a hundred percent private radio station yesterday. The flotation contract was signed in the Novi Sad’s City house, which enabled the purchase of the one third of the company for 650 thousand dinars (close to 8,2 thousand euros) from the city. The contract was signed between the Mayor of Novi Sad, Maja Gojkovic, in the name of the city, and Zvonko Tarle and Sreten Kovacevic, acting on behalf of the other two founders of the station. “We always do important and great things publicly, as well as this contract signing”, said Gojkovic yesterday, stressing that this act made the city of Novi Sad the first in the country to follow the recommendation of the European Council, that local self-governments should not have ownership over the public services. Gojkovic also expressed hope that Radio 021 would continue to inform the citizens of Novi Sad impartially. When asked whether the same fate also awaited the City’s information center “Apolo”, Gojkovic explained that it was preferable, but that the instructions on the evaluation and privatization of the television station were still expected from the Republic. Representatives of the broadcaster “Radio 021” expressed their gratitude to the mayor for the hastened selling procedure of the part of the capital owned by the city, adding that they would renounce their part on behalf of the employees who “were saving this company from flames and building it from scratch.”