Kosovo – Broadcast Media Developments (Two Reports, 1999)


1. Photo by Sharon Farmer – President Clinton, Kosovo Phone Calls – February 1999
2. Photo by William Vasta – President Clinton comforts a young Kosovar refugee at Stenkovic 1 Refugee Camp near Skopje, Macedonia, 22. 06. 1999

 

[ 1999 – Misc. documents from “Clinton Presidential Library & Museum” – Extracted by S. Guraziu, 2024 ]
Tags: PGOV, PREL, SOCI, EAID, ECPS, SR, OSCE, UN, NATO

Subject: Kosovo Broadcast Media Developments [ 1999 ]

1. Summary:
After two months of relative stagnation, media development is again on the move in Kosovo. UNMIK has appointed a temporary media commissioner and work on preparing regulations, laws; and standards has commenced. Licensing of new broadcast media will start again after a delay of almost three months. An-urgent problem now facing OSCE is how to find funding to continue the interim public television broadcasts via satellite, while issues of ultimate ownership and relationship to the independents are unresolved. Meanwhile, work by USAID/OTI, IBB, KFOR and UNMIK continues on the construction of transmission towers at four sites around Kosovo.
[ End summary ]

Movement On but Lingering Problems with Media Organs

2. There has been significant movement in the development of broadcast’ media in Kosovo during the past month. Public television began with the launch of RTK satellite broadcasts on september 19, after a delay of two months, on october 21 UNMIK finally appointed douglas davidson, OSCE’s media affairs director, to be temporary commissioner for media regulation, charged with establishing a media regulatory commission and drafting rules and standards for the broadcast media.

He is in the process of preparing a plan for this commission which will be submitted to UNMIK for approval sometime in the next month. OSCE has hired robert leblanc (another american) to be acting director of the division of media, regulation, laws, and standards. He is now working on setting in place a regime for the permanent registration and licensing of radio and tv stations.

3. Nonetheless, problems remain. UNMIK and-OSCE continue to spar about the scope of OSCE’s authority regarding the media; UNMIK reserves the right to manage the frequency spectrum, although once the media commission has been set up, that body will presumably manage the broadcast-spectrum. No new radio or tv licenses have been issued since august 2, when UNMIK ceased granting temporary licenses. OSCE does not expect to be able to clear the backlog-of applications before December 1.

4. The pace of hiring competent international staff is frustratingly slow. Leblanc’s office is supposed to have six internationals; currently he is the only one. OSCE says that they desperately need competent experts to work on media law and to deal with technical issues.

Funding Problems for RTK Public Television

5. Most serious of all is the problem of funding for radio television Kosovo (RTK), which will run out of operating funds in mid-november. Davidson regards it as his most urgent priority-to find funding to keep RTK on the air; despite initial misgivings about UNMIK’s awarding of the contract to the european broadcast union (ebu), davidson believes that it is important to keep the satellite program on the air until terrestrial broadcasting can be reestablished. After that, davidson argues, it will be desirable to maintain public television for three reasons:
First, it provides a new, western model for television in Kosovo, accessible to local video production houses of all kinds; second, it prevents a return to the previous model of state-owned tv, with its bloated staff and antiquated equipment; third, only RTK can guarantee effective programming in minority languages (serbian, turkish, romish.)

Private television stations such as rtv 21 or koha vision (the two most promising aspirants almost certainly will not do this. Davidson estimates that ebu will need $2 million to keep RTK operating for another seven months.
It will take at least another $2 million dollars to establish the terrestrial system (which involves telecommunications as well as broadcasting) under the control of UNMIK’s civil administration pillar.

6. However, donor agencies here have reservations about RTK’s ability to deliver. According to a recent unesco survey and anecdotal evidence from donors active in granting media support, RTK has little credibility among the viewing public in Kosovo. Programming thus far has been regarded by the locals as amateurish, even comical at times.
At the same time, independent media complain that salaries at RTK have lured young television journalists away from local independents struggling to get off the ground.

7. Davidson refutes this charge, saying that salaries at RTK are actually lower than those paid by aferdita kelmendi at independent rtv 21. Quality is also improving, he argues. As of october 25, RTK engaged as its new anchorman a well known tv professional recently returned from tirana. Some of the former rtp employees who were opposing RTK have now joined the staff.

8. Among media donors attending the recent us-sponsored media conference in pristina, there was consensus that a two track assistance strategy should be-pursued. First, it was agreed that the priority for donors be the support and development of a strong, viable, and sustainable private independent and professional media in Kosovo. Second, that a public broadcasting service was important, but that it be limited in scope, economically viable and free from political control. Donors share the concern of the independents that, without limitations on RTK’s right to solicit commercial advertisements, future advertisers may be drawn to RTK at the expense of the independents because of the satellite station’s superior province-wide footprint.

They are also troubled by the prospect of supporting RTK’s expensive expatriate ebu management. Drumming up assistance will be problematic unless there are assurances about how the assistance will be used and what the ultimate fate and function of the station may be.

9. Comment:
A possible compromise approach may lie in the reconstruction of production facilities at RTK, which would be large enough and could be put at the disposal of independent production companies. These facilities could also be used to produce commercials and generate revenue for both RTK and the independents. RTK would have to put forward a plan for the construction and use of such facilities to the-donor community, which has not been done yet.
[ end comment ]

Status of Television Stations in Kosovo, Today

10. RTK started broadcasting via satellite on 19 september 1999. Its two-hour evening program goes from i900 to 2100. Most of the program is in albanian except for the news, which is done in both serbian and albanian. The signal uses the eutel satellite and reaches all parts of Kosovo, though of course only homes with satellite receivers can see it.

UNMIK and OSCE stress that this is intended as a temporary measure until terrestrial broadcasting can be reestablished. RTK is managed by the OSCE and operated by the european broadcasting union (ebu). The director is a swiss television professional, eric lehmann, brought in by the ebu. The staff is multiethnic.

11. Initial criticism of the way the station was started up came from disgruntled local tv workers and journalists, who expected RTK to be a reincarnation of the old rtp, they wanted their old jobs back. They accused RTK of employing young and inexperienced journalists (whom RTK says it wants to train) while overlooking the talent pool provided by former employees of rtp. An opposite stream of criticism has come from the new independent television stations, who fear that RTK will siphon off talent and threaten their potential advertising revenues. (comment: this is clearly a “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation for RTK.)

The quality of programming in the first few weeks was generally considered-poor. The OSCE has urgently requested donors to find management and other trainers, who could help build a public broadcasting system along western lines. The station manager has also put out a call for video broadcast material, since indigenous production will not be able to provide material for many months.

12. Although Koha Vision, owned by Koha Ditore newspaper publisher veton surroi, received a temporary broadcast license from UNMIK this summer, it does not yet have a transmitter, other studio equipmentl or funding to go on the air. Like all other local TV stations, it will have to acquire a new license from the media commission, once that body has been established. No exact date has been set for the beginning of broadcasts. However, Koha Vision has begun to produce interviews and other information programs which are being aired on RTK.

13. Radio Television 21 (RTV 21) has not yet agreed to produce material for broadcast on RTK, but the station is well ahead of koha vision in terms of acquiring transmitting capability. They have received considerable equipment donations.From international donors, including usaid. The station iskeenly interested in the construction of the tower on mt. Golesh. If work on that tower is completed on schedule, RTV 21 could conceivable be on the air by the end of december.

14. RTV Kosova Sot, which also acquired a temporary license and frequency this summer, is still far from ready to begin broadcasting. They have not yet acquired the necessary equipment. There are repeated rumors of management problems and financial mismanagement at the newspaper (which owns the TV station). Respected editor in chief Ibrahim Rexhepi quit the paper at the beginning of october to go to work for competitor koha ditore.

15. There are a few other applications for Albanian-language TV stations. One is TV AA, which intends to cover the eastern part of Kosovo and is proposing to focus on the young population, i.e. popular music, movies, entertainment programs, with brief news programs during the day. The owners are agim avdiu and valon beqiri, whose backgrounds are in the music and video industries.

16. Another applicant is the confusingly named AA-TV or Ars Arberia, owned by “Euroliria” (a Gjakove-based company that has specialized in audio-video production and distribution). The managing director is the highly respected filmmaker Agim Sopi, who has considerable experience making films for television, and the board consists of several well-known professionals from the old RTP.

17. There is one private local serbian television station, TV 8, which began broadcasting on September 28. Its programming consists mainly of old movies, music videos (mostly German), and foreign serials, with serbian subtitles. TV 8 does not produce its own news but rebroadcasts or translates material from BBC, Reuters and Deutsche Welle. They have plans to hire three journalists and begin to produce their own news and features in future. Their signal covers the Mitrovica-Pristina-Ferizaj axis. The station is owned by a Belgrade-based company, “Genex” and managed by a representative of the company, Dragana Dojcinovic.

18. Although most television efforts focus naturally on Pristina, there have been new developments as well in the western half of Kosovo. In prizren, a private albanian company based in Kukes, Albania has established TV Kukesi. The station is owned by a wealthy albanian businessman, Lutfi Mecka. It has a studio and an editorial board in Prizren. While most of the programming originates in Albania, it broadcasts a daily news program live from its studio in Prizren, and occasionally covers the press conferences of the local german KFOR commander.
The station has made overtures to the local KFOR and UNMIK offices for support, and has inquired about becoming a “Public Television Station”. Its signal presently covers most of the western half of Kosovo, but it reportedly has plans to reach the whole of Kosovo in future. Presumably, it will register and seek a license and frequency from the media regulatory commission once it is established.

19. There is also a station calling itself TV Gjakove, but broadcasting from somewhere in northern Albania. Its format is similar to that of TV 8, only in Albanian, i.e. foreign movies, music videos, and foreign-produced serials. It does not presently broadcast news or other information programs. It is seen only in the Gjakove area.

Recent Radio Developments

20. Since our last report (reftel), the most noteworthy development concerns Radio 21, which has taken a commanding lead over all other stations in terms of resources and audience. It broadcasts 24 hours a day in Albanian, and has a good-network of correspondents all around Kosovo. The station has received considerable assistance from international donors, including USAID, and will cover the entire territory of Kosovo once its 10 KW transmitter is erected on mount Golesh.

21. Second in popularity is probably Radio Kosova e Lire (Radio Free Kosovo) which has very close ties to the Thaqi government (PGOK), from which it receives funding, and former KLA circles. With a 10 W transmitter in Pristina its signal covers the eastern half of Kosovo and the Drenica region. It has plans to cover the whole of Kosovo by mounting two relay towers, one in Jezerc (south of Ferizaj) and another one in the Berisha mountains (central Kosovo). It is currently broadcasting 12 hours a day. Popular because of the nationalistic editorial line which it takes, the station is not very professional by western standards, and relies heavily on the Kosovapress Agency (also funded by the PGOK) for the content of its news programs. International donors have thus far stood aloof from Kosova e Lire, although the station has approached some of them for assistance.

22. OSCE-run Radio Prishtina, with five hours of local programming and the rest of the time taken up by the “International stream” of VOA, RFE, BBC, and Deutsche Welle, probably remains in third place in terms of serious listenership.

Construction of Transmission Towers

23. USAID/OTI and IBB are proceeding in their work with UNMIK and KFOR on four tower projects. The tower for PTK (Telephones and Telecommunications) has been assembled and is waiting at Pristina airport to be airlifted to the roof of the PTK complex. PTK officials seem to be satisfied with the product; they will arrange for a construction engineer to finalize the rooftop site and OTI will coordinate with KFOR to airlift the tower, probably on October 28, depending on the weather.

24. USAID reports that the first 11-meter portion of the tower for mount Golesh, which will serve both broadcasters and PTK, is at the airport and will be further assembled over the next few days. During that time the area for the concrete base for the tower will be prepared on the top of Golesh. Simultaneously, another contractor is working on removing the remnants of the old tower, destroyed by the NATO bombing. An engineer from IBB is reviewing the tower design and running additional tests to ensure its quality. KFOR is handling reconstruction of the building to house the generator and the electrical cables. Money for this part of the project is being provided by OSCE.

25. The tower which is destined to be erected on mount Svilen (near Prizren) is still being assembled in Macedonia, while a company hired by KFOR is working on removing the remnants of NATO bombardment on the mountain. An IBB engineer is reviewing tower specifications with the contractor.

26. The tower to be erected on Ostro Kopje (Bajgora) will hold one transmitter broadcasting into Serbia as part of the Ring Around Serbia – RAS). The contractor managing the site arrived in Kosovo over the weekend and met with OTI, IBB and the Mitrovica company preparing the base. He will give last instructions to the company so that they can pour the concrete at the-marked and prepared site on the mountain this week. A german IBB contractor, Wilhelm Reuther, has just arrived with the unimog (a small truck for winter maintenance of the facility). He and Robert Everett of IBB Washington will be supervising the work and the installation of the antenna.

Comment

27. The importance of getting the towers up and independent radio and (especially TV) stations licensed and on the air cannot be overestimated. Public TV is a help but cannot substitute. In the first instance, people need normalcy, and entertainment as well as news are critical to restoring that sense. In addition, rumor flies rampant here, multiple news sources will help control it. Elections cannot be successfully held, nor can political parties consolidate and compete properly in them, without independent media that can reach all of Kosovo. As it is, new political figures have trouble gaining profile, and the politics of personality continues to dominate the exchange of ideas on issues of real importance. Finally, as media is established it is to be hoped that there will also be room for independent serb-language media. Moderate serbs have noted that Belgrade completely dominates the media available to serbs right now, spreading Milosevic’s poison.

[ 1999 – Misc. documents from “Clinton Presidential Library & Museum” – Extracted by S. Guraziu, 2024 ]
Orig: USOffice Pristina
To: RUEHC/SecState WashDC Immediate 0528
NSC for Amb Hill and David Leavy
Tags: PGOV, PREL, SOCI, EAID, ECPS, SR, OSCE, UN, EUN

 

Subject: Moving Forward on Public Television in Kosovo [ 1999 ]

1. Summary and Recommendation:
RTK, Kosovo’s public satellite television, is running out of operating funds and will shut down November 15 unless donors pledge the funds necessary to keep the station operating. Unfortunately, there is no country-wide terrestrial television broadcasting in Kosovo yet, and there will be a gap of at least two, and possibly several months before a terrestrial system can be set up. The closure of RTK will be a serious blow to the development of television here, depriving even the independents of the only current means of broadcasting their material. It will also mean the end of attempts to develop multiethnic television here, as the independents will be exclusively Albanian. USOP recommends that the USG work with donors to keep RTK on the air, and use this opportunity to leverage our funding to shape the future of public television in Kosovo.
[ End Summary and Recommendation ]

2. As reported in reftel, the OSCE-managed Kosovo public television, RTK, will run out of operating funds and cease operation on November 15. The operator, EBU, has already given notice of its intent to withdraw from its contract with OSCE unless it receives pledges to continue funding for another seven months. OSCE estimates this will cost about
2 million dollars.

3. The current broadcasts, via Eutel satellite, are the only indigenous television programs now available to the kosovar viewing public. The station has overcome its early difficulties regarding staff and the quality of newscasts, and viewership is growing. Thanks to its Swiss director and an energetic english station manager provided by the BBC, the station now provides a useful western model for future public television and is a platform for influencing the future development of the television industry, including the independents; even though they lack their own capability to broadcast at present, the independents are able to air their productions on RTK, gaining experience and name recognition.

There are proposals to construct a joint production facility at RTK which could be used by independents to make programs and advertisements. In the longer run, it is intended that RTK be turned over to local management and switch to terrestrial broadcasts once the necessary transmission towers have been erected and made operational (under UNMIK management) on mt. Golesh and mt. Svilen.

4. OSCE makes the point that RTK is not intended as competition for the independents; rather, it will have its own important place in the broadcasting spectrum. The independents, when they are finally up and running, will be commercially driven in a largely albanian environment and can be expected to aim, naturally, and probably exclusively, at an albanian audience. The basic format of their programming is bound to be dominated by entertainment, rather than informational programming. This is the pattern we already see clearly among local radio stations. In the future, it is likely that only public television can be counted on to air programs aimed at ethnic minorities in their own languages.

5. If RTK is closed down, the quest to establish local broadcasting will be set back an indeterminate number of months. Even RTV 21, the most advanced of the independents, will not be ready to go on the air for at least two months, and then it will only be seen in Pristina. The western model of public television offered by RTK will be lost and the pressure to develop some kind of state-sponsored television will probably lead to other, less desirable solutions. The opportunity to develop cordial and professional relationships between public and private television stations through the sharing of some production facilities will also be lost. But most importantly, no indigenous programming will be seen around Kosovo from November 15 until the towers are up and functioning.

6. Unfortunately, the time line for the completion of transmission towers necessary to make terrestrial broadcasting work is, quite uncertain. It has just been reported that the two towers destined for mts. Golesh and Svilen will have to be redesigned to take into account the severity of wind and weather at those sites. (Note: work on the tower on Ostro Kopje, part of the “Ring Around Serbia”, is further advanced; that tower should be functioning in a few weeks. It is not part of the broadcasting system for Kosovo, however. End note) with winter closing in, it is by no means clear that the Golesh tower will be functioning any earlier than next spring, and the Svilen tower is even further behind. The November 1 deadline for golesh which OTI/IBB were aiming at, is now past. Even if they could complete construction before the end of the year – a questionable proposition – one cannot be sure that UNMIK, which has shown itself to be overstretched and undermanned in Kosovo, would be ready and able to promptly take over management of the tower. All in all, a later rather than an earlier starting date for terrestrial broadcasts seems more probable.

7. While we believe that the USG by itself should not undertake to keep RTK on the air, USOP recommends that the USG work with other donors to find the funding necessary to keep the station on the air. Perhaps a smaller amount of temporary funding can be provided to keep the station on the air until the subject can be discussed in detail at the donors’ conference in Brussels, November 17-18. (Note: this idea has not been proposed to the EBU operators, who have said they want funding for the remaining seven months of their contract with OSCE. End note) the total amount necessary to keep the station going for two weeks should be about $150,000.

8. The USG can use this opportunity to shape RTK in directions-meeting our preferences by conditioning support for RTK on the station’s fulfillment of the following criteria;

– RTK should provide studio space in the RTK building as well as production equipment for the independent TV stations, so they can produce their own studio programming until their Facilities are ready.
– RTK should provide the independents with free air time to broadcast their production material in its original format and negotiate with the independents on time slots.
– RTK should pledge to remain non-commercial, to avoid taking advertising dollars away from independents once they are operational.
– RTK should be open to the idea of broadcasting VOA programming unedited.
– RTK should present USG donors with a concrete proposal for costs as well as a management plan for running the station.
– minority programming should continue, emphasizing the importance of independent serbian information sources.
– any USG funding should be recognized as bridging the gap between RTK’s satellite and terrestrial broadcasting and not as the beginning of a long-term commitment to RTK.
– RTK should attempt to minimize any hiring away from local private television stations.
– support to RTK should be matched with simultaneous support to independents, such as RTV 21 or TV Koha.

9. The USG should also consider providing material for rebroadcast by RTK. IBB’s representative in Kosovo has suggested that IBB might be able to provide journalistic and technical training to RTK, if the station will agree to rebroadcast material from VOA TV. We should find out from eur/map and the former worldnet acquisitions section (now part of IBB) whether there are other appropriate video materials which can be placed on RTK. The bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) could also be asked to identify legal and technical experts who could be sent as professionals-in-residence to work with OSCE on managing public television in Kosovo. Working with the OSCE to make RTK a success seems a better strategy than simply letting RTK fail if we want to project U.S. influence over the long range, while at the same time assuring that politically neutral, multi-ethnic television does not disappear from the air.