VECERNJI LIST EDITOR-IN-CHIEF BRANKO TUDJEN REPLACED

ZAGREB, May 15 (Hina) - The Supervisory Board of Croatia's "Vecernji List" daily on Tuesday replaced the daily's editor-in- chief Branko Tudjen and appointed Tudjen's deputy Ruzica Cigler new editor-in-chief. Tudjen confirmed his replacement to Hina, saying a member of the Supervisory Board, Klaus Schauer, had informed him about it this afternoon. "He explained that I was being dismissed because the daily could not achieve the expected results with me as editor-in-chief," Tudjen said, adding rumours about his replacement had started late last year when the Austrian media company 'Styria' became the majority owner of Vecernji List. The chairman of the Supervisory Board, Marijan Kostrencic, said today Tudjen was being replaced because the majority owner had decided that the daily needed such a change. The president of the Croatian Journalists' Union and Vecernji List journalist Jasmina Popovic told Hina Schauer had dismissed speculation that "there will be more dismissals" in the daily. "I believe that most employees hold Cigler's appointment acceptable because she comes from 'Vecernji List'," Popovic said. Branko Tudjen was appointed Vecernji List editor-in-chief in 1993 and had been working for the daily since 1972. The new editor-in-chief, Ruzica Cigler, has been working in the daily for 26 years and was Tudjen's deputy for the past eight and a half years. (hina) rml