HND ORGANISES ROUND TABLE ON NEW MEDIA POLICY IN CROATIA

ZAGREB, Dec 15 (Hina) - The Croatian Journalists' Society (HND) on Wednesday held a round table on a study entitled "New Media Agenda: Pro European Media Policy in Croatia" and on possible strategic changes in the media policy. Present at the event were reporters, politicians, media experts and scholars. The editor of the study, Zrinjka Perusko Culek, said this paper was an incentive to the process of creating public consensus on the issue of an open, democratic and European media policy. The goal of the study was also to focus the public discussion on strategies of changes in the media policy in order achieve a desirable level of pluralism and media freedoms. The carriers of the project 'New Media Agenda' are: Article 38, the Croatian Law Centre and the Institute for International Relations. It has been financially supported by IREX ProMedia, while the Journalists' Society ensured the logistic support. The 100-odd-pages was written by a dozen reporters and media experts. During Wednesday's round table Damir Matkovic (an employee with the Croatian Television and a Forum 21 member) discussed the situation in the Croatian Television (HTV), advocating its re-organisation and revision of financial activities of that TV house. He maintained that it was necessary to create a long-term strategy of technological and programme development as well as that one channel be given to regional TV studios. Juraj Hrvacic ( a representative of the Association of the Croatian local public media) warned that out of 117 radio stations gathered in the association, about 90 percent of them registered bad business results, or they were just little above negative trends. Stressing that most of radio stations were commercial, a journalist Marina Mucalo, asked for stimulation of non-commercial radio stations. (hina) ms