The media landscape in the Balkans is very dynamic and public service media should respond to a range of challenges in a bid to win the battle for audiences. Financing, hiring the best professionals and airing of programs via satellite are among the main problems that media in Albania and Kosovo are faced with.

During a media forum organized by the Bulgarian National Radio in the town of Pravets their representatives accentuated linguistic diversity of the programs as an important part of the public service value of media outlets.

„The Radio and Television of Kosovo (RTK) has been a multilingual media outlet since its very start – it offers programs in the languages of all minorities in Kosovo both on radio and television. Kosovo Television produces programs for eight communities – in Albanian, Serbian, Turkish, Roma, Bosnian, Montenegrin, for the Egyptian minority and for the community of Gorani who speak a specific Bulgarian dialect. I can proudly say that we are the only television in the world broadcasting news in the Roma language every day,” remarks Mentor Shala, RTKDirector General

In turn Kleart Duraj, Head of International Relations at the Albanian Radio Television said: 

„The programs in foreign languages especially in the languages of our neighbors are something very important. There is a dedicated  channel broadcasting in the languages of all minorities in Albania including Bulgarian. For the time being they are predominantly news and current affairs but during talks with the directors of the Bulgarian National Radio and the Bulgarian National Television we have asked them to provide us with various programs in Bulgarian that we could air for the Bulgarian minority.”

The meeting organized by the Bulgarian National Radio in Pravets aimed to contribute to the dynamism of Balkan media cooperation especially in the context of the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

“This event has given us a chance to resume partnership and to encourage the processes of mutual assistance and exchange of professional experience”, BNR Director General and host of the event Alexander Velev pointed out.

The exceptional importance of public service media for promoting and consolidation democracy and European values in Southeast Europe was reiterated in a joint declaration of the participaqnts in the forum.

English Daniela Konstantinova