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Keeping The Faith: RadioB92,
Belgrade, Yugoslavia "I have no courage to imagine life in Belgrade these days without B92 on a new mission. It has become obvious that [it is] such an important part of Belgrade urban culture and life." Gordan Paunovic, Music Director, B92 The latest war in the Balkans has created grave doubts over the future status of free and independent media in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). Freedom of speech was severely curtailed by the Slobodan Milosovic's regime even before the NATO bombing began, creating extremely difficult conditions for independent mediamakers. In spite of this challenging situation, Belgrade radio station, B92 have continued to provide critical voices of opposition and recoil amongst the prevailing rhetorics of the mainstream media and military machines. Beginning life as an experimental student orientated radio station, B92 was launched on May 15, 1989, as a co-production of two young radio teams. Occupying a vacuum within the tightly regulated airwaves of Yugoslavia, B92 acted as a focus for public action against war and nationalistic hostilities. They played a significant antagonistic role during the wars of secession in the early 1990s, as a critic of the government, and by organising protests for peace, coordinating humanitarian actions, and providing independent news which contrasted starkly to government controlled media services. Acknowledged globally as a champion of free expression and peace activism, B92 have received many international accolades, including the 1998 MTV Free Your Mind Award. Recognising the importance of new technologies to their broadcast operation, B92 have been an active proponent of the creative uses of internet technologies for the distribution of information and for communication purposes. In order to ensure that they themselves could use the internet, and to provide their community with internet access, B92 founded the first non-governmentally operated Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Yugoslavia, OpenNet. In 1995, with the support of Amsterdam based Internet service provider, XS4ALL, they began broadcasting their radio programmes on the internet. B92 acknowledged that their news reporting should not just be restricted to their Belgrade transmissions, and thus actively worked with other television and radio stations across Serbia. These media entities formed a coalition called, ANEM - the Association of Independent Electronic Media. Employing the use of internet audio streaming technologies, and a the supoport of a satellite service in London, B92 began a system of rebroadcasting their news services to all the ANEM broadcasters across Serbia, greatly diversifying the audience for independently produced news, cultural and social programmes. B92 also recognised that the media could not exist in isolation, and must be contextualised with cultural and activist expression. Thus in 1994, the B92 cultural centre, Cinema Rex was founded. On March 24, 1999, the secretary-general of NATO issued the order to attack Yugoslavia. Four hours later B92's transmissions were banned and essential transmission equipment confiscated. B92 Editor-in-Chief, Veran Matic, was detained for a period of hours without explanation and without an opportunity to contact his family or lawyers. On April 2, B92 and its associated organisations, Cinema and CyberRex, OpenNet, came to a complete standstill. A new management, appointed by the Government, took over the B92 radio station and the adjacent TV and video production, publishing and and Internet departments. The staff of B92 resigned en masse. Their premises were sealed, and the new staff began to transmit on their FM frequency. Several decisive support projects for the banned radio station emerged out of the chaos of the war, exemplifying the resilience of creativity in the face of the cheerless logic of war and entropy. An international support organisation HelpB92, responded to the circumstances in collaboration with B92, by harnessing the potential of the internet. Real Audio, satellite, and medium wave solidarity broadcasts began across the world. The B92 and HelpB92 web sites had 15 million visitors in just 7 days. An important phase of information distribution, fund raising and solidarity actions ensued, ensuring that B92 remained visible in its effort to document and make public, the catastrophe unfolding across Yugoslavia. The support activities for Radio B92, have now evolved into a new entity, FreeB92, which was established by the HelpB92 coalition, as a longer term method of supporting B92. FreeB92 focuses on providing the international public with information on the status of independent media in Yugoslavia, and works on projects to support journalists and mediamakers in various kinds of jeopardy. One of the key public faces of FreeB92 is the NetAid actions, which comprise an online concert taking place on the 15th of each month. The first NetAid action on May 15, dedicated to the 10th Birthday of B92, protested against the use of violence as a means of solving political conflicts and raised awareness of the plight of the independent media in Yugoslavia. This 24-hour happening brought together musicians, individuals and bands, as well as DJs, sound and radio artists from around the world, who contributed the most precious value of all - creativity - in defiance of the destruction taking place in Yugoslavia. Recently, in a move which sparked surprise amongst their supporters and critics alike, B92 made a strategic arrangement with Belgrade media conglomerate Studio B, operated by the leader of the political opposition in Yugoslavia, Vuk Draskovic, which enabled them to reestablish their FM broadcasts in Belgrade. Radio B92 are still in a contracted legal battle with the organisation which seized its premises and is frequency during the war. For this purpose they are broadcasting under the slightly revised name, B2-92. Four months after the war came to its uneasy cessation, Honor Harger spoke via the internet with Gordan Paunovic, Music Director of Radio B92, and coordinator of the NetAid actions, about the current scenario in Belgrade, and the context of B92's recently reinstated transmissions. Honor Harger: Firstly, can you tell me what is the mood like in Belgrade at the moment? Are there visible signs of reconstruction now, four months after the bombing concluded? How is B92 and the remaining independent media structures faring? Gordan Paunovic: The mood in Belgrade could be described in one word as, bizarre. The general feeling amongst the population is a mix of lethargy, fear and helplessness, combined with a lack of the kind of energy which is necessary for more radical political action. This is most visible amongst the older population (50+), who seem to have very strong feelings of uncertainty these days. The regime is not popular at all, and people talk negatively about them quite openly in public. But at the same time, there are signs of increased repression. For example, the police behave more abruptly and brutally toward people in streets - they have obviously been instructed to use force with less hesitation than before. There are no signs of rebuilding. Major damage is visible in one of the central streets - Kneza Milosha - where the former army and police buildings are now in smithereens. There is a construction fence 2.5 meters high around the site, but you can see the destroyed buildings behind it. The original B92 crew is now working under the campaign name Free B92 and broadcasting in FM under the name B2 92. The relaunch of the FM broadcast was a huge psychological boost, and despite the wounds of the past, spirits are again high. We have practically managed to restart all the aspects of the B92 media house which were active before 2 April. There is a big intermedia project on the way under the name 'Truth and Reconciliation'. There will be numerous books that deal with issues such as collective guilt, and the nature of societies after totalitarian regimes. For example Karl Jaspers' 'German Guilt', Hannah Arendt's 'Eichmann in Jerusalem', Arendt's correspondence with Jaspers, plus a number of international studies on this subject. We plan to launch a special campaign within this framework, followed by public forums, discussions, a website etc. HH: Many people first came in contact with Radio B92 during the recent war. However B92 have acted as a public focus for activism against war and nationalistic fervour for many years now. What has B92's role been in past protest, peace and humanitarian actions? For example the protest over the falsification of local election results 3 years ago. GP: Our mission was always firstly oriented toward letting people know what was really happening in Yugoslavia. We wished to provide people with news and information free of control and censorship. We believe that we prepare a platform for everyone to make a fair political choice, which is something that the political establishment in Serbia obviously doesn't want. During the demonstrations in 1996-97, our main role was to let people know the truth about the election fraud. Later when this was not even denied by the ruling parties which carried out the fraud, we supported the civil movement that lead the protest, keeping a distance from political parties who rode on the wave. We have always wanted to retain our right to criticise any member of political or public life in Serbia, no matter if he/she comes from the opposition or from the establishment. In my view, the action we rate the highest was the continuous help to Sarajevo during the siege from 1992 to 1995 (this support consisted of humanitarian aid, solidarity with Radio Zid, support to the Sarajevo Library, etc), as well as the humanitarian actions in support of Serbian refugees after their exodus from Croatia in August 1995. HH: Do you think the fundamental purpose and role of B92 has altered significantly from its original ambitions back in 1989? GP: Yes and no. The people who founded B92 were friends for a long time before the origination of the radio station. B92 arose out of our mutual depression with the radio scene in Belgrade. We hated the music, we hated the news, we hated everything about the existing radio in Belgrade. I think this is not so different from how most pirate or free radio stations are born all over the world. We wanted to have our own small world and have fun. We wanted to play music that no one else was playing. We hated Milosevic and his clique, long before he started the fire in the Balkans. During its early years, B92 was the wild, uncontrolled element of the Belgrade airwaves. If we didn't surprise ourselves, then we were not satisfied. Over the years, we learned that the importance of information free-flow within repressed societies was more meaningful than our personal, selfish approach. So we sacrificed a part of that to make space for a mission which was more socially responsible. HH: Even when B92 are on the air, your broadcasts are only directly accessible in the central Belgrade area. Was the establishment of the ANEM network of independent media entities around Serbia, an attempt to ensure that news and information was shared with people outside the reach of your Belgrade transmitter? How has the ANEM network effected the independent media infrastructure in Serbia? How badly was it effected by the war, and do you think there is any possibility of a swift recovery? GP: ANEM was established in order to do what B92 has done in Belgrade; that is to break apart the State media monopoly. Our results with ANEM were terrific. After one year of existence, ANEM had 1.6 million listeners with 37 low power transmitters (the maximum strength of the ANEM transmitters was 1,000W transmitters, but most were between 200-300W). This is compared to 2.3 million listeners for RTS (the State national radio network) who have 250 transmitters, built over 50 years! Those figures really scared the heads of the regime. It became obvious that people wanted different media and that their trust in RTS was diminishing. This meant that that during the war the regime did not just stick to their normal methods to hamper ANEM - they used very open and brutal force. They arrested journalists and editors, implemented astronomically high fees and fines, stole or seized equipment, and simply shut down whole stations. This was a big problem during the war - it created a situation where all kinds of State violence happened in the shadow of the NATO bombing. The establishment did all kinds of dirty, nasty things while the public were looking elsewhere. Now, since B2 92 is on air, ANEM is functioning again. Since early August, more than 25 stations all over Serbia have received four and a half hours of daily satellite news programming again, produced at B2 92 in Belgrade. Also, ANEM TV broadcasts two central shows per week, and also broadcasts a number of documentaries that deal with the contemporary political, social, and economic state of the nation. We have great feedback from both listeners and the authorities: the former love it, and the latter are tightening their authoritarian grip even harder. HH: Despite the technical difficulties associated with sharing radio programming with other ANEM radio stations, B92 established a system whereby this was possible, using the internet and satellite technology. How did this process work? Is it likely that this kind of remote program sharing will be possible again in the future? GP: It works now in the same way it worked before the war . We reestablished it 100% the same way as it worked before. It is a unique example of tactical media operating on such a big scale, rather than the more widespread micro tactics. It works like this: B2 92 news programmes are encoded in MPEG3 and sent to London via a high tech modem. Then they are decoded and transmitted as a satellite broadcast. All ANEM stations have receivers that can receive this signal, and they rebroadcast it in real time, with a few seconds delay, from live feed in Belgrade studio. HH: A related question is about B92's presence on the internet: not only do B92 have a website and broadcast its radio programs online, but in 1995 the organisation also founded the ISP, OpenNet. How does your relationship with organisations like XS4ALL in the Netherlands help facilitate these things? GP: XS4ALL is someone we couldn't survive on the web without. They not only host our website and Real Audio server but also serve as good adviser and spiritual support. Right now the FreeB92 web site is the most important online action for us, as it is the core of the FreeB92 campaign, and a meeting point for everyone concerned not only with the B92 case, but also with the developments of the Yugoslav crisis in general. It is now one of the few reliable Yugoslav news sources (another being the Free Serbia site). But for us the internet is a great medium. It enables us to leap over current financial problems. For example, we currently do not have enough money to print "REC" (WORD), our literature and society magazine, so instead we post it on our web site in electronic form.. HH: During the most recent war, email reports and websites written or produced by people in Yugoslavia were an important primary source of information for people seeking to understand the impact of the bombing. It perhaps lead people to assume a relatively high level of internet connectivity within Yugoslavia, and a reasonable degree of understanding about the potential of the internet as an activist media. Yet I recall Drazen Pantic, one of the founders of OpenNet, once writing: "For a country like mine, where the Internet is either an unreachable dream, or the privilege of a tiny minority, or just a possible way of making a lot of money ... we will see a generation of kids that will grow up never touching fruit from the Net Paradise". How has this position changed over the past three years? What impact will the FRY's damaged communication's infrastructure and the other effects of the war have on people's attitude to new media? GP: There are positive and negative effects. The net flourished during the war as a communication tool. Everyone used email, even people who had never touched a computer before. Writers posted diaries of life during the wartime, as did artists and ordinary people. So it was an asylum from everyday lunacy, and also an asylum from propaganda and wartime censorship. On the other hand, there were many more bad, nationalistic or "target" sites online. But maybe that fact simply followed the state of the nation. Everyday propaganda left strong effects on people's minds. HH: During this recent crisis the dilemma of being one of the few media voices speaking out against the Milosovic regime became starkly apparent. On one hand, there was the looming figure of the Government, and their supporters, suspicious because of B92's opposition to the regime, and on the other hand you were criticised from outside Serbia for being "anti-NATO". Yet a further radical critique rails against B92's acceptance of support from Western organisations such as George Soros' Open Society Institute. How do you respond to these kinds of comments? GP: We have our story and our goals and they are as far from this sort of prejudice as you can imagine. The most often repeated criticism was that we have used Soros money. But we don't even want to comment on such things, as most often this kind of prejudice comes from people who have made up their minds before they start to investigate our case. Otherwise they would notice that we have never completely followed any of the particular ideologies of our donors. B92 is much more about diverse local, urban eccentricities than about the kind of grand politics that everyone gets hooked on so easily. The same goes with the kinds of ideas expressed during the war. I can only imagine what kind of stupid, short-sighted minds could put an = sign between being "against bombing" and "pro Milosevic". We refuse to comment on such things, as it abuses human intellect. HH: On the other hand, B92 has solicited a high degree of solidarity and support internationally from both fellow broadcasters and individuals who respect your stance on issues of free speech and independence. What kind of impact does that kind of moral support have on the B92 team? GP: For me, international solidarity campaigns like HelpB92 practically saved the original B92 people in Belgrade. If it were not for an immediate reaction from media activists and the radio community worldwide, the people in Belgrade would have given up - their station was being taken over while they were bombed, and they felt so helpless. And I have no courage to imagine life in Belgrade these days without B92 people on a new mission. It has become obvious that Free B92 and Radio B2 92 are such an important part of Belgrade urban culture and life. HH: One of the most significant protest actions which arose out of the FreeB92 project has been the NetAid broadcasts. I remember at one point that you commented that Net.Aid "announced a new, self-conscious, interactive age". Later you further elucidated that these projects could aid a rethinking of the traditional radio programme format. How exactly did Net.Aid employ new media, and what was innovative about it? GP: We wanted to create a virtual radio with a help of our international friends, when we had no way to do it on our own. We called our friends from music scene, rock bands (like Sonic Youth, REM, Mike Watt etc) and DJs (like Kruder & Dorfmeister, Mr.C, John Acquaviva, Miles Holloway etc) and asked them to participate. Or often, they approached us themselves, as during the bombing their eyes were focussed on our story. So it was a sort of a solidarity forum of the international music community, which became sort of a monthly net.radio action which was then rebroadcast on radio by several European stations, from radio Studio B2 in Weimar, to Radio 100 in Amsterdam and Nachbar In Not and FM4 in Austria. HH: Since the war has ended B92 has gone through some interesting changes. When the organisation was effectively shut down during the early days of the war, a new staff occupied the B92 premises and began broadcasting on the B92 frequency under your name. How has this situation evolved since the end of the war? GP: Since we started B2 92 this group have been much quieter. Their programme has very few listeners and zero credibility. In the beginning, when we started B2 92, there were threats that they were going to sue us over the name (they broadcast under the name B92, we broadcast under the new name B2 92). But now they seem to have bigger problems: they have no staff . Very few people want to collaborate. It would be extremely embarrassing for anyone with even a grain of decency to say in public that he or she collaborates with the "new" B92. The most recent development was that the complete "new opennet" staff (now known as "b92.net") left the station. These are the people who did a dirty job a few months ago, taking our original domain name <www.b92.net> and breaking into our web system. HH: With the evolution of B92 into B2-92, the radio station has now accepted support from Studio B, owned by the leader of Serbia's democratic opposition, Vuk Draskovic. How did this relationship transpire? Will it impact at all on your independence? GP: No. The first attempt of their interference to our policy will cause immediate termination of the contract and B2 92 will stop broadcasting. This issue is overrated anyway. Don't believe the hype. For eight and a half years we have been using an RTS transmitter and no one questioned our independence. The SPO is forced to tolerate us because they want to improve their international image, although we are criticising the opposition too. Also, I wouldn't say that Vuk Draskovic is the leader of the democratic opposition. Maybe he was several years ago, but in the meantime he has made too many compromises to still to be considered like that. HH: What are your thoughts about B92's future now? GP: Well, that is the hardest question. Maybe this is one answer: we are looking forward to the times when we will be just another small boring station from another boring country called Serbia, which is no longer any more interesting than any other East European country. Interview / Text by: Honor Harger
<honor@va.com.au>
Further information about B92 and the issues discussed above can be accessed on the internet via the following websites: AMARC International Campaign of Solidarity
For further information also search the following online information archives: <nettime>
Background articles relating
to the recent Kosovo conflict: Legal Guide to the Kosovo Conflict: "Email Assist for Yugoslavia", by Leander Kahney: "Notes on the Kosovo Problem and the International Community" by Diane Johnstone "The Current Bombings: Behind the Rhetoric" by Noam Chomsky: "An American Activist" by Cary Peppermint: "Against The Double Blackmail" by Slavoj Zizek: |