FORUM 21 CLAIMS PERSONNEL CHANGES AT HRT JUST "RHETORIC" IN NATURE

( Editorial: --> 8979 ) ZAGREB, Sept 8 (Hina) - The broadcasting journalists' group Forum 21 says the latest personnel changes announced at Croatian Radio Television did not inspire hope the HRT would be transformed into a public broadcaster. "The list of nominated persons shows that nearly all the key places have been entrusted to members of the governing party, and that the two operationally most important places (the Information- Documentary and Culture-Arts programme editors) have been entrusted to members of the governing party's Main Committee," a Forum 21 statement said on Tuesday. Forum 21 warned that no personnel changes had been foreseen in the Informative-Documentary programme, which had been coming under sharpest criticism by the domestic public. "True changes at the HRT are possible only through fundamental changes in the way the HRT functions, and not through new rhetoric and occasional personnel charades which place the HRT under even tighter control by the ruling political party. "Forum 21 continues to expect a real and not rhetorical transformation of the HRT from a state-party into a public television (broadcaster) applying European standards," the statement signed by Forum 21 president Damir Matkovic. Forum 21, however, welcomes the intention of new HRT general manager Ivica Vrkic to introduce financial order at the Croatian national broadcaster, strengthen public influence on its editorial policy, increase the production of domestic programmes, pay more attention to the quality of the Croatian language in HRT programmes and to establish professional criteria as the primary measure of one's success at work. Vrkic announced the HRT's personnel changes on Monday. (Hina) mbr jn /mro 081956 MET sep 98