Serbian media regulator urges calm at Informer TV, calls for leadership elections

Olivera Zekić, spokesperson for Serbia's Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM), called on the body's members to elect a president and deputy at their constitutive session. She also urged the television station Informer to "lower the volume" on its content, noting that 90% of the complaints REM receives are about its programming.

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lower the volume

Zekić stated that she does not expect the election of the ninth REM Council member until the elections for national minorities' councils are completed. She claimed that media outlets like N1, Nova S, Radar, and Danas created an artificial division among REM Council members, while expressing a desire for constructive work within the Council. If a president and deputy president are not elected on Monday, the oldest member, Dubravka Valić Nedeljković, will preside.

The REM Council is currently processing 360 applications for local radio stations, concerning the granting, renewal, or revocation of licenses. Zekić highlighted that 90% of REM's complaints were directed at Informer TV, with a few against TV Pink regarding "Elita," and some against Prva and B92. TV Hepi received no complaints.

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If not elected president and deputy president of the REM Council at the constitutive session on Monday, the oldest member, Dubravka Valić Nedeljković, will have the duty of presiding.

Zekić also warned media service providers to pay their outstanding obligations to REM, stating the body is on the verge of bankruptcy. She criticized those who thought they could avoid payment due to the absence of a Council. Studio B is among the largest debtors, owing 27 million dinars, prompting Zekić to directly address its director, Ivana Vučićević, demanding payment. She expressed confidence that all REM Council members would soon agree on the necessity of collecting these debts.

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You are not just under scrutiny, you have the most complaints, so you could lower the volume a bit.

Regarding the announcement of a tender for the public service broadcasters' management boards, Zekić explained that REM's expert services need to align the old rulebook with the new media laws. Following a public discussion on the draft bylaws, the REM Council will adopt them. Only then can the procedure for electing the management boards of the two public service broadcasters begin.

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Smart people thought they didn't have to pay because there was no REM Council.