REM warns N1 and Nova S over election silence
The regulator listed exact slots in both channels' morning shows. The same day Transparentnost filed complaints with REM, and Informer phoned the election commission.
The Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) on October 23, the first day of the election silence, published the exact time slots in which content contrary to the pre-election silence rules was found in the programming of the N1 and Nova S television channels. REM’s professional service notified the editors of both channels, and the regulator says it will keep monitoring their programs and take “measures provided by law.” The statement does not announce any penalties.
Which time slots does REM cite?
On Nova S, the matter concerns the morning program “Wake Up,” from 7:53 to 7:55 a.m. and from 8:02 to 8:18 a.m. On N1, REM singles out the show “New Day” from 8:03 to 8:04 a.m. and the news bulletin from 8:21 to 8:22 a.m.
The statement does not say what was said or shown in those slots. As its basis, REM cites the rule that pre-election program content may not be broadcast 48 hours before election day, nor on election day until the polls close. The silence lasts until 8 p.m. on October 25.
The sources differ on the time slots. Kurir and Informer report that N1 aired the disputed segment at 8:21 and repeated it at 9:07, while REM mentions only the slots from 8:03 to 8:04 and from 8:21 to 8:22 for N1. For Nova S, those outlets also name a text on the Nova portal published at 9:12 as disputed, while REM refers exclusively to the television program “Wake Up.”
What does Nova S say?
The news director of Nova S, Slobodan Georgiev, told Danas that it is REM’s job to do its work, but rejected the claim that his channel broke the silence. He also commented on the sequence of events:
“First they let Informer tear us apart, and then, 3 hours later, they sent some kind of notice.”
Georgiev added that, in his assessment, the story in question has nothing to do with the campaign and that, as he put it, “this silence is not a state of emergency.” In the sources we read, there is no response from N1 to the REM statement, nor any response from N1 or Nova S to the complaints that arrived during the day.
Who filed the complaints?
Mario Spasic, secretary general of the Transparentnost organization, filed complaints with REM against N1 and its editor in charge of programming, Branislav Sovljanski, as well as against Nova S and its editor in chief, Mihajlo Jovicevic. Headlines in some outlets speak of criminal complaints, but their articles name only REM as the recipient, and no prosecutor’s office is mentioned.
Spasic also reported Raiffeisen Bank over an advertisement, “3 reasons to open an iRacun at Raiffeisen,” published in the morning on the bank’s official channels and removed after a few hours. “We believe Raiffeisen Bank abused its position as a commercial bank,” Spasic said, and added:
“We expect Raiffeisen Bank in Serbia to explain publicly why the advertisement was published this very morning and why it was removed.”
He also announced that he will contact the headquarters of Raiffeisen Bank International AG in Vienna.
Why did Informer call the election commission?
The editor in chief of Informer, Dragan J. Vucicevic, phoned the Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) during the show “Kolegijum 1” and asked: “Whom can I report a breach of election silence on certain media to?” An employee referred him to RIK secretary Smiljanic. Informer says the secretary had not picked up by the time its article was published.
The president of the Journalists’ Association of Serbia, Ivana Vucicevic, told Kurir: “If it is confirmed that N1 and Nova S broke the election silence, I expect an urgent reaction from the competent authorities and accountability for everyone who took part in it.”
What can REM do?
REM Council member Milos Garic told Informer TV that N1 and Nova S are cross-border channels over which the regulator does not have full jurisdiction:
“We can initiate complaints, but in this case we cannot do much beyond that, and in particular we cannot issue any instruction to Ratel to switch off the programs of these channels if they continue with this, because they are not fully under our jurisdiction. They still answer to the regulatory body in Luxembourg.”
This is REM’s first formal move during the election silence. On October 22 we reported that Sabic and the independent REM members would not attend the closed session.
