Kosovo's public broadcaster brings ethnic communities together

28/07/2008

At Kosovo Radio and Television, ethnic Albanian journalists work together in the same newsroom as their colleagues from minority communities.

Photos and text by Blerta Foniqi-Kabashi for Southeast European Times in Pristina -- 28/07/08

RTK is one of the main multi-ethnic institutions in Kosovo.

Public broadcaster Kosovo Radio and Television (RTK) is one of the main multi-ethnic institutions in Kosovo. About 26% of its daily news programming is in minority languages: Serbian, Turkish, Bosnian and Roma. The station also features weekly news magazines in these languages.

Founded in the aftermath of the 1998-1999 conflict, RTK consists of a television service and two radio stations -- Radio Kosovo and Radio Blue Sky. It operates under UNMIK Regulation 2001/13 as a self-managing organization, with its general director answerable to a non-political Board of Directors.

"RTK's commitment to serve all communities is a key part of its public service obligations," says General-Director Agim Zatriqi.

"We work together in the same journalists' room," says Turkish editor Fatma Hoca, who has three journalists on her staff as well as correspondents from Prizren and other cities. "We have very good co-operation, especially with Albanian colleagues. Sometimes, when we cover an event [on the] Turkish minority, our Albanian colleagues co-operate with us and we get their cameraman. Or, when any delegation comes from Turkey, we get them pictures and news."

Nenad Radomirovic, a Serbian journalist, also points to the atmosphere of co-operation. "We have programming in five languages," he says. "We work together and we have an understanding environment."

RTK's policy is that journalists at all language news desks work together in the television and radio newsrooms, sharing information and facilities. "I'm pleased to work in such an environment where peoples of different communities work together for a common useful aim," says Albanian journalist Shkumbin Ahmetxhekaj, who covers political issues. "RTK is an example of how people, no matter their ethnic background, get along for building a peaceful Kosovo."

Turkish editor Fatma Hoca (right) has three journalists on her staff as well as correspondents from Prizren and other cities.

Relationships among all the RTK journalists are excellent, according to Albanian programme editor Mentor Shala. "RTK does not have ethnic divisions. We work as citizens of Kosovo," he says.

To foster its unique programming, RTK has an executive producer for its minority shows. "Minority issues are regularly featured in mainstream Albanian programming and minority guests take part in studio programs," says editor-in-chief Sylejman Shaqiri, who formerly held the post of minority producer.

The public broadcaster is also home to the Kosovo version of Sesame Street, which is broadcast in Albanian and Serbian. Produced by the Sesame Workshop in collaboration with local partner CMB, "Rruga Sesam" and "Ulica Sezam" air throughout Kosovo, and are also broadcast regionally by two Serbian language broadcasters, TV Most in Zvecan and TV Herc in Strpce.

These local adaptations of Sesame Street are making a significant impact on how children view other ethnicities in their communities, as well as boosting their literacy and socio-cultural knowledge, says Sala Bytyci, a teacher at a primary school in Suhareka.

According to Bytyci, children who watch the show are able to demonstrate a more positive attitude towards children from other ethnic backgrounds. Meanwhile, 12-year-old student Agron Morina says he prefers a different RTK offering – Tom and Jerry cartoons, also broadcast both in Albanian and Serbian. "This is my favourite show," he says.

In February 2005, RTK became the only national broadcaster in Kosovo to broadcast news in sign language. This service, provided with the backing of OSCE and the Kosovo Deaf Association, is "the only door for the deaf community to receive access to public life in Kosovo, says sign language interpreter Selman Hoti.

"RTK does not have ethnic divisions. We work as citizens of Kosovo," Albanian programme editor Mentor Shala says.

RTK television is the market leader and is watched by 92.1% of the population. The station, however, is facing serious financial problems. Since 2003, it had received a significant amount of its funding through a monthly fee paid by Kosovo citizens.

Under an agreement with the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEC), energy consumers had to pay 3.5 euros each month to support the public broadcaster. But KEC has recently stopped honouring the agreement, and the fees are no longer coming in.

KEC's decision, many believe, is part of a push to have RTK placed under an umbrella of government directives. The current arrangements give RTK a uniquely independent, non-political role – but also the practical problem of paying its bills.

If the current situation continues, RTK may have to reorganise. "I don't think that anyone works in television without [pay]," says Albanian journalist Pranvera Munishi-Morina.

The broadcaster's future path, like much in the new state of Kosovo, remains uncharted. Still, it continues its daily mission of offering a modern-day alternative to intolerance and propaganda – an example, as former UN envoy Bernard Kouchner once put it, of "media which reflect democratic principles".