ZAGREB'S RADIO 101 FAILS TO WIN FREQUENCY LICENCE

ZAGREB, Nov 20 (Hina) - Croatia's nine-member Telecommunications Council on Wednesday granted two radio frequency concessions at national level, two at county level and four at city level. After a heated debate, Radio Globus 101 won a concession for the City of Zagreb with five votes in favour, one against and three abstentions. The two other radio stations competing for the concession were Radio 101 and Zagrebacki Krugoval. During the vote on Radio 101, two councillors voted in favour, two against while five abstained. Zagrebacki Krugoval gained one vote. Council member Ivic Pasalic said that Zagrebacki Krugoval presented the best programme scheme while Radio 101 and Globus 101 were too politicized. Marko Sapunar said that the programme scheme of Radio 101 was obsolete and that it failed to meet the requirements of a modern city such as Zagreb. Stjepan Radic said that Radio 101 was more professional in its criticism than the Globus weekly. Council president Branko Mocibob said that the granting of this concession was surrounded by "extraordinary pressure and political connotations." His opinion was that the decision was motivated by profit because Zagreb was the country's biggest city with the developed business sector. Radio 101 editor in chief Zrinka Vrabec-Mojzes described the Council's decision as "not professional but political" and "a victory of the radical right-wing faction of the (ruling) Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party." Mojzes announced at a news conference that Radio 101 would fight against this decision with every legal means, inform the international public and the Council of Europe, and call on its listeners for support. "During the last year, Radio 101 has been exposed to various accusations in newspapers, attempts at bribery and pressure from the ruling party," Vrabec-Mojzes said, adding that about 100 employees would lose their jobs if the radio station was shut down. Radio 101 received numerous messages of support from representatives of political parties and organizations, including Vlado Gotovac and Drazen Budisa of the Social Liberal Party, Ivica Racan of the Social Democratic Party, Silvije Degen of the Social Democratic Action, the Social Democratic Union, the Alliance of Independent Trade Unions and the Journalists' Union. (hina) vm mm 201948 MET nov 96