Lokalni mediji u Vojvodini kao mediji civilnog društva?
Local Media in Vojvodia as Civil Society Media?

Summary/Abstract: Cultural and etnical diversity are the main characteristics of media scene in Vojvodina. Existence of a large number of local media is a great wealth, but it should also produce a commitment to on-going and so far incomplete process of ownership and structural transformation. The abolition of state tutelage, in this case that of the local authorities, over the media they founded represents good practice of democratic societies. The privatization of local media was delayed from the start, then implemented (along with numerous irregularities) in a number of local houses, and in the end due to public pressure and the (local) political factors, through new regulations under the Law on Local Self-Government in 2007, it was finally stopped. The current situation could be dealt with more active use of legal means of Broadcasting Act, Article 95, which provides the establishment or transformation of existing local media stations into the civil sector media. The civil society media represent completely missed chance of local media, minority communities and NGOs. We will briefly present the theoretical framework of the community media, an alternative media option under which the civil sector station can be generalized. In this paper we focus on the local broadcasting media in Vojvodina. The experience of the founders of RTV Victoria from Vršac, the first station of the civil sector in the Province, is very valuable. To start the process of transformation of local media in the civil society media takes a lot of work to inform the public, to strengthen civil society and institutional support. Support to these media in the inevitable process of digitization and adapting to new social circumstances can provide a significant use of new technologies whose convergence, fusion with traditional media, potentially allows for greater independence and accessibility, as well as easier citizens’ participation in creating the program. The title of the paper tells about insecure future of local community media, because until now there is incomprehensible non-use of the legal possibilities for transformation and the establishment of local media. The conclusion and an appeal is that multi-language and civil society media in Vojvodina in the future has to be a road taken more often.

• Details
• Contents