Zigmanov: Increasing Subscription Fee Will Improve Minority Language Programs

Tomislav Zigmanov (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

Minister of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue Tomislav Zigmanov said on July 30 that raising the subscription fee for public media services would have a positive impact on rendering information in the languages of national minorities.

In parliament he said that the debate so far had mostly focused on raising the subscription fee for RTS but that Vojvodina Radio and Television was part of the public information service.

"Vojvodina Radio and Television is important because it  does a lot to secure the constitutional right of providing information to minorities in their native languages. This increase will increase the quality and work of these programs. The Vojvodina Radio and Television station broadcasts programs in 14 national minority languages, like Radio Novi Sad," Zigmanov said.

He stressed that RTS had Roma and Albanian staff in its departments for these minorities and that a way was being sought for establishing programs in the Bosnian language.

In a previous debate in parliament opposition MPs reiterated that they would not vote to raise the subscription fee for the public media service as they believed that it was not operating professionally and not informing citizens on important subjects and that it was a mouthpiece for the Serbian Progressive Party.