Profits over Prestige

President of the company Zivorad Minovic explained that "Politika" no longer needed prestigious publications but only such which would yield a profit. As no one from NIN attended the session, the question was asked whether they had agreed to the transformation. Minovic replied that everything had been done at a request of NIN and that the company's Managing Board (Zivorad Minovic - President, Natasa Zecar -Vice-President, Aleksandar Tijanic - Acting Director of Radio Television Politika, Hadzi Dragan Antic - Director of the "Politika" daily) had reached an agreement on everything with the people from NIN. Unfortunately, it is difficult to check this information as the Editor-in- chief of NIN will not address the public while the negotiations between "Politika" and NIN are underway.

However, it was possible to find out that the employed at NIN had not insisted on becoming independent, while "the agreement they had given earlier" referred to their transformation within "Politika." The deadline, which was set, is relatively short: it was decided that everything should be prepared so that NIN could begin to work in new conditions as of September 1st.

The hurry arouses suspicion especially if it is taken into consideration that the mode of the transformation process was not agreed. Namely, two options are possible: forming of a mixed firm and forming of two separate companies which would entail a division of assets and property. The second model is more time-consuming, but if applied, a possibility that the Karic brothers (or someone else) buys NIN cheaply is thus eliminated. This happened in the case of the "Intervju" Review, in which the "NIN" company invested only 9,000 DM and gained 90 per cent of the rights.

The respectable weekly has thus been offered to be bought for little money by the first carpet-bagger who comes along (the American expression for a mediator who, with his bags full of money, cheaply bought the land in the devastated South after the Civil War).

Considering the current balance of economic power in Serbia, there is a real threat that NIN may be taken over by some firm which is close to the ruling party. Without the additional capital and a developed marketing service it is very difficult for NIN to survive in conditions where the printing costs are astronomical. It is highly unlikely that the leadership of "Politika" was not aware of this when deciding the fate of NIN. A well contrived procedure is most likely in question. Some economic reasons were mentioned: small circulation, big losses, high fees...However, it is clear that the losses made by NIN are negligible, especially when compared with the amounts which are swallowed by a huge administration, let alone gigantic investments in the printing house (the biggest in the Balkans) which will not anything to print soon, a "panoramic" elevator and new TV-repeaters. Apart from this, the fact that all "Politika's" reviews are making losses, which are the greatest in case of those with the largest circulation, should not be dismissed.

Therefore, the reasons should be sought on the others side when it comes to the amputation of NIN, most probably in the same kitchen where "the patriotically oriented" journalists prepared attacks on this weekly, or even earlier when a reconstruction was announced from a high position. In any case, there is a follow-up. And, the information that any investment of the "Politika" company in NIN is banned until the transformation is over and that the journalists of NIN cannot leave their editorial staff nor can new people be taken on during this time-period speaks for itself.