Serbian Language Television Network Launches in Kosovo

TV Mreza Network launch celebrated at member station TV Puls

From left to right: Zvonimir Miladinovic, director TV Most; Bojan Mladenovic, director TV Herc; Andrew Clayton, chief of party IREX/Kosovo;, Patricia Rader, USAID Kosovo; Nenad Radosavljevic; Veroljub Miletic , TV Most; Nenad Milenkovic , chairman TV Mreza ans director TV Puls

The majority of Serbian communities are isolated from one another

making the TV Mreza network one of the only ways for them to get news

and information about Serbs throughout the country.

SIMM Technical Advisor Skumbin Rama installing an antenna on the KOM mountain to connect TV Mir to the TV Mreza network. While the stations are linked to each other using the internet for sharing stories, they still rely on terrestrial transmission to reach their audience

Funding from USAID through the IREX-administered Strengthening Independent Minority Media (SIMM) program provided network stations with technical equipment like cameras to help improve the quality of their newsgathering. Director of TV Puls in Shilovo, Nenad Milenkovic, examines one of the new cameras for his station.

In addition to cameras, the SIMM program provided studio equipment for each station to improve news production quality. Here the SIMM Technical Advisor Skumbin Rama and station owner Bojan Mladenovic installing a new editing unit at TV Herc in Strpce.

Dragana Milojevic from TV Mir in Leposavic in the control room working with a new broadcast server that was part of an IREX grant to improve the station’s news production.

In addition to providing equipment, the SIMM program ensures that it is used for quality news production. Martha Dixon and Dejan Vuksanovic (left) training TV Herc journalist and cameraman on stand-ups using IREX-funded equipment.

Journalists from TV Puls gathering statements from Kosovo institutions. This is a huge step forward for Serbian news programs as many Kosovo Serbs refuse to recognize (and therefore will not request statements from) Kosovo institutions.

Dejan Vuksanovic, an IREX trainer from Serbia, helps the TV Herc cameramen properly frame his shot. In order to provide the TV Mreza stations and journalists with the best guidance possible, IREX ensured that they have assistance from Serbian media professionals.

helen-harrison & company

% Share of Population by Channel June 2009

6%19%

37%

38%

% Share of Universe

TV Puls, RTV Mir, TV Herc, TV Most,

Together the four stations cover 80% of the Serbian population in Kosovo.

Representatives from TV Mreza, USAID, and IREX inspect the newly equipped studio at TV Puls. The increase in local news story production will provide Serbian communities throughout Kosovo with more information about each other than they have ever had.