The Bosnian public broadcaster BHRT is experiencing extreme financial problems and is facing the real threat of closure.
At the same time, the Serbian public broadcaster RTS and its Croatian counterpart HRT have revived links after two decades by deciding to make a TV series together.
Quoting Belmin Karamehmedovic, BHRT’s TV director, Balkan Insight and BIRN report that the broadcaster cannot even pay for its gas and electricity, let alone the €5 million it owes the EBU.
BHRT’s funding crisis has been caused by reduced revenues from receiver licence fees, which are its main source of income. Amounting to €3.80 a month and collected through bills for fixed line telephony services, they are only paid by around half of all households.
To help stem the loss in revenues, which are falling by €2 million a year, the broadcaster has asked for the payment of fees to be instead made through electricity bills.
The country’s ministry of communications aims to find a solution to the problem within the next six months.
Separately, Balkans.com and BIRN report that the first project between RTS and HRT will be a documentary series about the late Croatian poet Augustin Ujevic, who advocated a united state for Croats and Serbs.
It will be filmed in both Belgrade and Zagreb.
