Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

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Announcement Of The Association Of Independent Electronic Media
(12/31/96 6 pm GMT)

Radio Antena M in Podgorica, the largest independent station in Montenegro,
has received an official note from the Ministry of Industry, Energy and
Mining, which says that the station's working license expired on December
15. The Ministry has announced that it will call a public competition for
the frequency 87.6 MHz, on which Antena M has been broadcasting its programs
up to now.

This newest development means that Antena M may well lose its frequency,
because the competition is an open bid one, so the pro-Government media or
organizations have the chance to offer a higher bid and obtain the frequency
license without the obligation to broadcast anything. This has already
happened in the past.

The Montenegrin Minister of information has already announced that Antena M
will be "punished." All this comes at a time when Radio B92 is again being
oppressed in Belgrade. The world considers Montenegrin authorities more
liberal than Milosevic: as far the position of the media is concerned,
however, the two regimes are comparable. We call on the associations of
professional journalists to urge their governments to put a pressure on
Montenegrin authorities, so the position of the independent media may be
improved and the contract with Antena M extended.

The Association of the Independent Media calls on the Government of the
Republic of Montenegro to reverse the decision of the Ministry of Industry,
Energy and Mining which has canceled Antena M's license and to respect the
universal principles regarding the freedom of the press.

Veran Matic
Coordinator of the Association of the Independent Electronic Media
Editor-in-Chief, Radio B92, Belgrade