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This is the first issue of the OBN Update, a brief newsletter which will aim to provide all those interested, principally the members of the Governing Council, with a snapshot of developments in the Open Broadcast Network. The update is produced jointly by the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Sarajevo and the OBN Project Assistance Team (PAT).
- The OBN was one of the specific issues addressed in the conclusions of the London Peace Implementation Conference which took place on 4 and 5 December. In the final document, the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) acknowledged that "freedom of expression, including a free and independent media, is an essential precondition for ensuring a democratic society in BiH". They agreed to "issue the necessary licenses to enable the OBN and TV-IN to operate throughout BiH and to permit the establishment of additional facilities to enable OBN and TV-IN to be received throughout BiH".
The authorities in BiH also undertook to agree to a new legal framework to facilitate the creation and operation of independent broadcasting stations and networks throughout BiH, particularly those of a cross-Entity nature.
- TV-IN continues to broadcast the programming of the OBN from its Central Hub in Sarajevo, drawing on the strengths of its four member stations: ZETEL of Zenica, RTV Mostar, TV Tuzla, and TV Hayat in Sarajevo. Its half-hour news bulletin, TV-INFO, is increasingly seen as the most balanced news available to Bosnian viewers. A further two-and-a-half hours of programming, local and international, is then transmitted to most parts of the country.
- Consolidation of the network continues under the leadership of Kosta Jovanovic and Benjamin Filipovic, News and Creative directors. Jovanovic, a well-known TV and radio journalist, served as Editor-in-Chief of TV BiH during the early part of the war. Filipovic, a film director by vocation, was responsible for a number of highly successful TV productions before the war and collected many international awards for his film work. Azra Almajstorovic, News Editor, came to the OBN from TV Hayat.
- The production team at the hub are working closely with the PAT, a group of Bosnian and foreign professionals who bridge the building of OBN and the co-ordination of international resources required by the network. The PAT, headed by Alyson Scott, a specialist in financial and organisational development of start-up and emerging companies, particularly in broadcast and communications, comprises a number of highly experienced media professionals (ten at the last count - half of whom are Bosnians). Their expertise covers all aspects of TV operation. Among others, the group includes Alberto Herskovits, an experienced Swedish TV producer of renown currently heading the Banja Luka outpost, Rudolf Bosnjak, a Bosnian with extensive international uplink experience, and Steen Eriksen from Denmark, currently acting as co-ordinator for technical equipment and training support related to studio equipment.
A "concours" for selecting the permanent staff of the network has now been produced with ads appearing in the leading daily papers in BiH, Croatia and Slovenia announcing recruitment for all network positions. All the personnel who have been staffing the network since its launch have also been encouraged to apply.
- The OBN/TVIN Governing Council met in Brussels 25 November to examine the current situation and discuss future perspectives for the network. The Council was briefed extensively on proposals, prepared by the PAT and the Bosnian management team, for the development of a centrally-run affiliate-based network. Jovanovic and Filipovic outlined their programming ideas, supporting it with a video presentation, prepared by the affiliates, of the current output. The PAT are urgently developing a detailed budget and business plan, together with more detailed proposals on network structure. Also discussed was the progress achieved in planning an affiliate station in the RS (Banja Luka) and plans for expanding coverage.
It was agreed that the PAT, in consultation with OHR, would continue to keep donors regularly updated on progress in building the new consolidated structure ahead of the new round of pledges for the second phase of the project which are likely to be sought at the next Governing Council meeting in January 1997.
- The first batch of donated programming from Japan is expected in Sarajevo shortly. The programmes, comprising over 75 episodes of two Japanese animation series, have already been subtitled and prepared for broadcast. These programmes arrive thanks to the efforts of the Japanese Mission in Brussels and will constitute a welcome addition to the programming already donated by the British government, the Know-How Fund, UNESCO, USIA, and others.
- Following their attendance of the OBN Governing Council meeting in Brussels Kosta Jovanovic and Benjamin Filipovic visited the central offices of the ARTE network in Strasbourg, where they met with the Franco-German network's management and programming staff. An agreement was reached whereby ARTE would supply TV-IN with programming, original ARTE material as well as feature films for which ARTE own multi-run rights, in return for being fed news pieces produced by OBN/TV-IN from BiH.
- From the OBN outpost in Banja Luka comes the news that the recently-assembled team of local young TV and journalism professionals is now in place and operational, replacing earlier arrangements which were assisted by IFOR. This core group has made the commitment, at some personal and professional risk, to form the base from which a new independent station will be built in this central Republika Srpska (RS) city. Coverage of events in Banja Luka, and elsewhere in the RS is now a regular feature of the nightly OBN news program. In addition to covering events in the RS, the Banja Luka-based team will also endeavour to cover events in The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) whenever possible. Indeed, TV-IN is the only Bosnian broadcaster which covered the continuing demonstrations in the FRY, a Banja Luka crew having just dispatched its first two reports from Belgrade last week.
The OBN Project Assistance Team Tel. 387 71 460 536 Fax 387 71 460 534
Office of the High Representative Public Affairs Office Tel. 387 71 447 275 Fax 387 71 447 420
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