Satirical show to leave Nova S after contract talks fail

“24 Minutes with Zoran Kesic” will not return to Nova S this autumn after the show’s production team and representatives of the channel’s new owner failed to agree on a new contract.

The program had been expected to begin its new season on September 19. Zoran Kesic said on social media that the team signed its contract in June, but the other side had not. Referring to the Portuguese ownership of Adria News Network, he described the silence with a line from a song by Amália Rodrigues: “Silencio. They neither write nor call.”

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Like any other important issue inherited from the previous owner, the contract for ‘24 Minutes’ was subject to analysis by the new management.

ANN said the delay reflected a review by its new management, not a lack of interest. The company was acquired by Portuguese investment fund Alpac Capital, and its chief executive, Pedro Vargas David, was registered as a director of ANN companies in mid-August. ANN said important issues inherited from the previous owner required careful consideration after the takeover.

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These are illogical times, some powerful people are illogical, and it is logical that the illogical should become logical.

The company said cost was the main reason for ending the show. Its review found that “24 Minutes” ranked among the channel’s most expensive programs, costing more than half a million euros annually for less than 30 hours of programming. The figure included the presenter’s fee, studio production, equipment and staff. ANN said the cost could not be justified by the program’s marginal commercial performance.

The show’s team said it recognised both the logical case for keeping one of the channel’s most watched and loved programs and the “illogical reasons” that could end the relationship. It warned that media can turn something into nothing, describing the decision as part of “illogical times.”

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We have therefore decided not to renew the contract for the programme.