Author: Jelena Dešić, Radio Drvar
Radio Drvar is the only media in Drvar, and partly covers the neighboring municipalities of Glamoč and Bosansko Grahovo.
Even though it is unique, it fights the battle for survival in the media sky every day.
Radio Drvar was founded back in 1974 and this year marks half a century of its existence. Difficult years are behind this medium, but as things stand, even more difficult years are yet to come.
The Drvar radio station broadcasts daily information from Drvar, the Canton, the Federation of BiH, BiH, the region and the world. The program schedule is varied, from children’s programs to current topics and sports. Loyal listeners know how much Radio Drvar contributes to being timely informed and daily informed about developments and events.
Everything sounds nice, but in the newsroom it’s not so great. What’s more, the editorial office is often in trouble.
The founder of Radio Drvar is the Municipality of Drvar, which also finances it, but due to overload, it is unable to meet all the costs and needs of this small but significant media. Unfortunately, the media has somehow always been the most important secondary thing and thus the last on the waiting list. And the waiting list in the editorial office of Radio Drvar is long, salaries are late, overhead costs, obligations to agencies are late.
The working conditions are bad, there is a shortage of computers, chairs, and paper, but there is no shortage of love for journalism, which is why it survives. The small newsroom has two employees, a technician and a journalist, who are at the same time a cleaner and a director and a janitor and an announcer and an editor… Everything!
To make the absurdity even greater, although it is a well-known fact that there is not a single radio operating in K10 and it has existed for 50 years, the authorities in Canton act as if Radio Drvar does not exist at all, and not that it has lasted for half a century. For every request sent to institutions in K10, Radio Drvar received nothing! And that means no answer, let alone any help. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was not broad-handed either. Requests for help were sent to the Prime Minister, to the ministries as well, but to this day there is no sign or voice, as if they do not exist, except on paper.
Two employed young people are still waiting for better times and at least an answer from the institutions in K10 and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the belief that they will have at least basic conditions for work, nothing more than being just right, because they don’t even think about comfort.
It is important that Radio Drvar continues to work and operate, that it is heard, that the residents of this small municipality and in the most distant villages hear information from Drvar, Livno, Sarajevo, Banja Luka and beyond. It is an important window into the world, Radio Drvar is important not only for Drvar, but also for Glamoč and Grahova, where the voice of the announcer from the studio of this small but important media can be heard in some places.
The media content was created as part of the project “Promoting Citizen Participation in Local Government”, which the Center for Civic Cooperation from Livno is implementing with the support of the National Foundation for Democracy (NED). The content and views expressed in the text are the author’s personal views and do not reflect the views of the Center for Civic Cooperation and the National Foundation for Democracy. The use of the content and its transfer to third parties is possible with the prior consent of the Center for Civic Cooperation.
Source: cgslivno.org
