Professional paper
Croatian Radio in the Year 2000: in Search of a New Identity
Nada Zgrabljić Rotar
Abstract
Croatian Radio is in a crisis and is busy searching for a new identity as a public medium.
The search is difficult and uncertain, and is taking place on several levels. On
the one hand, Croatian Radio today is slowly unwrapping the package of negative and
unresolved status and material issues within the system of Croatian Radio and Television.
Since Croatian Radio acts within the Croatian broadcasting system, it faces many
unpleasant legacies of the previous media policy. On the other hand, its old-fashioned
and rigid programming, with the predominantly authoritarian and monological communication
paradigm, makes it a very pale factor in the Croatian informational and
media field. Thus, it fails to respond to modern democratic concepts of the role of
radio.
All research, regardless of the quality and level of competence, shows that Croatian
Radio is a mastodonic structure whose survival is due to the well-practiced role of the maid-servant of politics. We must assume that there is a wish on the part of the authorities
and management, as well as the public, to enable Croatian Radio to become
emancipated, both economically and politically. The strategic studies (at present only
fragmentary thoughts and concepts of the future role of Croatian Radio in the Croatian
media system) ought to investigate the importance of the public media in stable democracies.
This role can be performed by independent and highly professional journalists.
The public media have their irreplaceable role in the preservation of the national
cultural identity in the commercial media environment based on profit and entertainment.
The public is entitled to participate in this effort and to be fully informed
about the issues involved. The parliament should adopt a law on Croatian Radio and
Television as soon as possible, but we should have no illusion that the process will be
short and easy. This will be only the first step on a long and uncertain journey towards
public radio.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
26302
URI
Publication date:
12.12.2000.
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