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Media Landscape - Bosnia-Herzegovina

INTRODUCTION

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The Bosnia-Herzegovina media landscape is determined by the country's complex political structures, the slow post-war peace process and devastated economy. Four years of war were finally ended in December 1995 when the Dayton Peace Accord was signed, allowing the reconstruction of the country and reconciliation among its three dominant ethnic groups: Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian. According to the peace agreement, Bosnia now consists of two entities: The Republic of Srpska, which is dominated by the Serbs and the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, dominated by the Croats and Bosniaks. The latter consists of 10 cantons, of which four have a Croat majority, four a Bosniak majority and two are evenly mixed.

The development of the media in the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina has been significantly guided by large international organisations such as the Southeast European Stability Pact, The Council of Europe, Irex ProMedia and the Open Society Foundation. They have invested enormous amounts of money in the reconstruction and democratisation of the media. Additionally, the Dayton Peace Accord granted broad powers to the Office of the High Representative for BiH (OHR), which has a mandate to impose laws and intervene in any sphere of political or economic life in the country (including media) in order to ensure implementation of the peace agreement.

Consequently, there is an ongoing struggle between progressive democratic forces, OHR and other international organisations on one side and reactionary nationalist forces on the other. This struggle shapes all segments of society and its outcome will decide the future outlook of the media in Bosnia.


1. WRITTEN PRESS

There are around 600 public print media on the Bosnian market. Newspaper readership has always been limited in Bosnia and is at even lower levels today due to the grave economic conditions and the limited quality of the media on offer. Print media content is largely moulded around, or restricted by, the ethnic character of the audience. This prevents print media reaching a broader audience on a state level and forces it to primarily target the ethnic group that is dominant in the region where each particular paper is published.

There are six daily newspapers published in Bosnia. Four of these are published in the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina: Dnevni Avaz, Oslobodjenje and Jutarnje Novine in Sarajevo, and Dnevni List in Mostar. Nezavisne Novine and Glas Srpski are published in Banja Luka, in the Republic of Srpska. Glas Srpski is the only daily owned by the government, whereas the other dailies strive for editorial independence.

Since the print media market is in a bad condition, there is no reliable data on the circulation of most of the papers published. According to some assessments for 2001, Dnevni Avaz has the highest circulation - approximately 40,000 copies - followed by Oslobodjenje with 15,700 copies and Jutarnje Novine with a circulation of around 10,000 copies. Nezavisne Novine and Glas Srpski has some 7,500 and 7,200 copies respectively.

Last year, Nezavisne Novine adopted a more aggressive market approach and started covering events in the whole of Bosnia, effectively becoming the first national daily newspaper. The effects of this move are yet to be seen.

The print media sector is further characterised by several important weeklies: Slobodna Bosna (circulation: 28,000), Dani (25,500), Nedeljne Nezavisne Novine (18,000), Reporter (10,000) and Ljiljan (8,000). Circulation data of weeklies are also based on assessments rather than exact information and relate to the year 2001.

Generally speaking, the print media market is underdeveloped as a consequence of the devastated economy and limited advertising revenues. According to some assessments, only six per cent of advertising investment (the total size of the advertising market being around 16.5 million euro net) goes to print media. This means the printed press can count on approximately 1 to 1.5 million euro in net advertising revenue per year. Considering the large amount of print media, the advertising market cannot support its survival. Moreover, with inflow of foreign investment into the media sector being close to zero, the majority of print media is still dependent on donations to avoid bankruptcy.

There are now several major news agencies in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina News Agency (FENA) was created in October 2001 by merging together the BHPRESS and HABENA news agencies, which were established in the early 1990s by the then Bosniak and Croat ruling parties. There is also the Serb News Agency (SRNA), founded by the Government of the Republic of Srpska in 1992. The most powerful private news agency is ONASA, followed by the SENSE News Agency which is registered in Sarajevo but covers issues of importance for the whole of the south eastern European region.


2. AUDIOVISUAL MEDIA

There are 183 licensed broadcasters in BiH, plus three additional state-wide public broadcasters that form the Public Broadcasting System for BiH: The Public Broadcasting Service of BiH (PBS BiH), Radio and Television of the Federation BiH (RTV FBiH) and Radio and Television of the Republic of Srpska (RTRS). Out of these 183 broadcasters, there are 42 TV stations and 141 radio stations. All together, there are 78 public and 105 private broadcasting media outlets in the country. Out of that number, there are 16 public and 26 private TV stations, whereas there are 62 public and 79 private radio stations. Cable television is completely underdeveloped and exists only in rudimentary form.

The dominant players in the audiovisual market, with the highest ratings and greatest reach, are the public broadcasters on an entity level - Radio and Television of the Federation BiH (RTV FBiH) and Radio and Television of Republic of Srpska (RTRS). Currently, RTV FBiH broadcasts on two television channels (Federal TV1 and Federal TV2) and two radio channels (Radio FBiH and Radio 202), whereas RTRS has one television and one radio channel.

The up-and-coming player in the audiovisual media market is the state-wide Public Broadcasting System for Bosnia-Herzegovina (PBSBiH). It started broadcasting BH Radio 1 on its own frequency a year ago and is currently developing BHTV 1, which will become a state-wide television channel. At the moment, BHTV 1 broadcasts a joint newscast on FTV1 and RTRS's frequencies but will gain its own frequency probably by mid 2003.

Public broadcasters on both entity and state level have several sources of finance allowed to them under the Law on Public Broadcasting System. This was imposed by the OHR in May and officially adopted by the Chamber of People and the Chamber of Representatives in the Parliament of Bosnia-Herzegovina in July and August 2002. The law provides multiple sources of funding for public broadcasters, including subscription fees, advertising, sponsorship and direct state funding.

It is argued that direct state funding will impede the editorial independence of public broadcasters and that strict advertising limits will drive the commercial TV sector out of business. Public broadcasters are now allowed to broadcast a maximum of six minutes advertising per hour (eight minutes per hour during the prime-time period).Some representatives of the commercial TV sector argue that these limits, although in accordance with the European Convention of Transfrontier Television, may be problematic considering the fact that the net worth of the TV advertising market is around 11 million euro, of which approximately 50 per cent goes to FTV - the other 41 television stations have to share the remaining 5.5 million euro. Nevertheless, the key problem is not the given limitations of advertising but the oversized TV sector and a limited advertising market. This seriously restricts the development of both commercial and public TV and the radio sector.

The greatest challenge to the public broadcasting television channels FTV1, FTV2, RTRS-TV and BHTV 1 comes from commercial TV networks Mreza Plus and Open Broadcast Network (OBN), who also manage to cover some 80-90% of the population each. Public radio stations primarily compete with individual local commercial stations and with two networks formed by local stations: Radio 27 (a network created around Radio Free Europe programming) and Bosanska Radio Mreza - BORAM (a network of around 20 local radio stations which recently started broadcasting a state-wide newscast).

The broadcasting sector is regulated by the Communications Regulatory Agency (CRA) that is empowered to draft and implement regulations and issue permanent broadcasting licenses.


3. ONLINE MEDIA

The majority of important media outlets have their own web sites as the internet becomes ever more important in the media market of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Nevertheless, Bosnia-Herzegovina is still one of the least developed countries in Europe in terms of access to the internet. Due to low purchasing power, high prices dictated by monopolistic state-telecom companies and the lack of skills in information technology; access to the internet is still limited to the wealthier and more educated segments of the population. The internet market in Bosnia-Herzegovina is still in its infancy, with e-shopping and e-banking just being introduced.

The most important portals currently are those of the various international organisations involved in the peace implementation, reconstruction and development processes in the country. Various NGO organisations and state institutions also have useful web sites, which are regularly published in both local languages and English.

The most important media portals are those of the daily newspapers Dnevni Avaz, Oslobodjenje and Nezavisne Novine. Other much used sites are those of weekly magazines such as Dani and Slobodna Bosnia. There is also a specialised media portal called Media Online, which focuses on south east Europe.


4. NATIONAL MEDIA POLICIES

After the war and the establishment of a new state structure, one of the priorities of the agencies charged with the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords was the reconstruction of the media. In the second half of the 1990s, the primary task was to take the media (particularly the state-owned media enterprises) out of the hands of nationalist parties and to develop an independent media sector, thus putting an end to the nationalistic manipulation of the public sphere.

Once the framework rules were established, the OHR and other organisations - such as OSCE, USAID and OSI - supported the creation of a legislative and regulatory framework for media conduct. One of the most important steps was the creation of the Communications Regulatory Act (CRA) which provides a final regulatory framework for the broadcast media. Other important achievements include the creation of the Law on Free Access to Information and the Law on Libel and Defamation, both passed in 2001. In early 2002, the Law on the Basis of the Public Broadcasting System and on the Public Broadcasting Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina was introduced, providing a structure for the entire system.

The creation of a regulatory and structural framework for the media is the first precondition for attracting investment from foreign media companies into Bosnia-Herzegovina. Until now, this has happened only tentatively with some foreign investment into the OBN television network and the Oslobodjenje daily newspaper.

Media policy on both state and entity levels is primarily created by the OHR and is aimed at the establishment of a functional and self-sustainable dual-broadcasting system, featuring both public-service broadcasters and a competitive commercial-broadcasting sector. However, reactionary political forces on all levels are trying to block the reforms in order to maintain their grip over the media for as long as possible. This is why all of the listed laws and regulatory instruments previously stated were primarily created and implemented through the OHR, often in spite of obstruction from politicians. Most notably, the creation of the public-broadcasting system was delayed for several years before the OHR was finally forced to impose the law.

Media legislation:

  • Draft Defamation Act for (the Entity)
  • Freedom of Access to Information Act for Bosnia-Herzegovina
  • The Law on the Basis of the Public Broadcasting System and on the Public Broadcasting Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina


5. ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEMS

The media accountability systems in Bosnia-Herzegovina has developed rapidly in the last several years. The most important regulatory body is the Communications Regulatory Agency (CRA) that regulates broadcasting content. The CRA is assisted in the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina by an Ombudsman - there is no corresponding post in the Republic of Srpska.

The existing journalists' organisations developed the Press Code, which was adopted in 1999. The Press Code stresses the obligations of journalists and their publications to maintain high ethical standards, guarantee the right to fair comment and respect that citizens need timely, useful and relevant information. The Press Code prescribes that journalists and their media are obliged to respect factual truth and should under no circumstances incite hatred, intolerance and discrimination. It also establishes the fundamental ethical principles of factual and fair reporting, including the protection of children, the rights of the accused and the protection of the right to privacy

Additionally in September 2000, journalists' organisations created the Press Council. The Council is a body that represents both the media and the audience and consists of six journalists, six representatives of the public and an international chairman. The Press Council operates on the basis of the Press Code and its primary task is to review citizens' complaints against press reports and to resolve these disputes, using journalistic means, in the best possible way. These include visibly publishing the Council's views in the paper concerned and publishing findings of the Council in regular reports and bulletins. The Press Council has no powers to punish, suspend or fine journalists.

See document: The Press Code


6. MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS

The major media employers' organisation is the Association of Electronic Media (AEM) but there are six professional journalistic organisations in Bosnia-Herzegovina:

  • The Independent Union of Professional Journalists of Bosnia-Herzegovina
  • The Association of Journalists of Bosnia-Herzegovina
  • The Independent Association of Journalists of Republika Srpska
  • The Association of Journalists of Republika Srpska
  • The Union of Professional Journalists of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina
  • The Association of Croat Journalists in Bosnia-Herzegovina


7. RECENT MEDIA DEVELOPMENTS

Bosnia-Herzegovina is now entering a phase of consolidation in its media sector. The legislative and regulatory framework has been put in place and the basic preconditions for the development of a functional media sphere has been created. Earlier this year, the CRA finished the process of issuing long-term licenses for broadcasters. This has led to rationalising the size of the broadcasting sector and effectively introducing higher professional, managerial and technical standards that have to be followed by broadcasters if their licenses are to be extended into the future.

There are still no conditions laid out for fair competition between media enterprises, especially in the broadcasting sector where public broadcasters have a better position than the private media outlets. In both print and broadcasting sectors, the majority of the media are in a difficult financial situation due to the weak economy, underdeveloped advertising market and large number of media outlets.

The last several years have been dynamic and Bosnia-Herzegovina has witnessed the introduction of key legislation and regulation regarding the media, along with the growing importance of the CRA in the broadcasting sector.

The introduction of the Law on the Basis of the Public Broadcasting System and on the Public Broadcasting Service of Bosnia-Herzegovina was the single most important step towards the creation of a public-broadcasting system on both entity and state levels. It allowed Bosnia-Herzegovina to move towards the creation of a functional dual-broadcasting system that endorses both strong public-broadcasters and a competitive commercial-broadcasting sector.


8. PRIME SOURCES FOR DETAILED INFORMATION

Bosnia-Herzegovina lacks sources on media development in the country. The only regularly published source is the online portal Media Online - there are no regular publications devoted to the problems of the media industry and journalists.

One useful source about media developments is the website of the Communications Regulatory Agency (CRA), which offers documents and information on media regulation and the activities of the CRA. Other potentially useful sites are those of the OHR and the OSCE mission to Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Further details on media trends in Bosnia-Herzegovina can be obtained by contacting NGOs active in the media sector such as Internews, Media Plan Institute and Media Center Sarajevo.


9. AUTHOR

Tarik Jusic is Media Research and Monitoring Program Co-ordinator at the Media Center Sarajevo. He is also a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute for Media and Communication Science, University of Vienna, Austria. Views and opinions presented in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Media Center Sarajevo.


10. MEDIA RESOURCES

Newspapers

Audio/Visual Media

Media Institutions

Regulation of Broadcasters Regulatory Agency

Blogs/Civil Media

Regulations

  • Broadcasting Code of Practice
  • Advertising and Sponsoring Code of Practice for Radio and TV
  • Code on Media Rules for Elections
  • Definition and Obligations of Public Radio and TV Broadcasting

Excerpt from EUROPEAN MEDIA GOVERNANCE: THE NATIONAL AND REGIONAL DIMENSIONS, published by Intellect (http://www.intellectbooks.com).

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