With four votes "in favor" and two abstentions, the Council of Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG), during tonight's session, did not adopt the Public Service Broadcasting's Program and Production (PP) Plan for the coming year.
Council member Marijana Camović-Veličković did not vote for that document, and Milica Špajak and Predrag Marsenić did not attend the session.
There were several documents before the Council, so in addition to the PP plan, they discussed the audit committee, the RTCG Code of Ethics, the financial plan for next year... However, the discussion on sublicensing RTCG-ACG content remained behind closed doors - without the presence of the media.
According to Camović-Veličković, the members of the Council were presented with a "falsely completed PP plan".
She assessed that performance should be measured in relation to the original Program and Production Plan.
She told the director of Television of Montenegro (TVCG), Milan Knežević, to "clean up" the shows for "a reason known to him and that he had done so several times during the year."
"When the time comes, you just take down shows that you know won't be realized and that way you have a high realization. What you do must be measured, not to clean up the excess. Criticism here is not welcome, nor is it well understood."
She said that the best part of the Public Service Broadcasting Service is Radio Montenegro (RCG), because it is "completely neglected and left to its own devices, so it has the opportunity to do something."
"They are waiting for some natural end of Montenegro, which they are only obliged to do by law, which must exist in some form. Mr. Knežević, if we start from the fact that you are presenting new things, you explained to us what the TV archive is, 'Tradition of Montenegro', but you did not tell us what the 'Culture of Memory' of 42 episodes is."
She recalled that three RTCG employees held a press conference pointing out discrimination at the Public Service Broadcaster.
"Don't tell me it's such a coincidence that all three women who negotiated the Collective Agreement are now being targeted. That you're completely canceling one of their shows and moving her, untrained, to work on the portal. And Milena Janjušević, who has had problems throughout the year. Now the New Year's children's program is being sent from the first channel to another, less popular channel," said Camović-Veličković, adding that the PP plan is "a document from which one cannot understand what will be done on the Public Service Broadcaster during the next year."
She told the portal that it is a media outlet that does not respect the Ombudsman's decisions, adding that they do not respect the Media Law.
"You (Marko Vešović) sign the information delivered by the correspondent from Brussels. It is a text about Spajić's offensive. In my opinion, the gentleman who came up with the information should be signed. In journalistic terms, the portal remains the most problematic part of the Public Service," she stated.
RTCG Director General Boris Raonić stated that he found it amusing that Camović-Veličković's words were always being denied. He emphasized that there are no frequent changes to the PP plan, adding that when there are, they are not extensive.
"The PP plan has always been implemented one hundred percent. I also don't like the fact that members of the Council who represent the public interest treat the Public Service in this way. Saying that no one cares about the Republic of Montenegro is far from the truth."
He said that radio is a medium that will have its own future, emphasizing that the Public Service is adapting to its function.
Knežević asked Camović-Veličković on what basis she concluded that he did not want to adopt the annual plan. She also claims that "the shows are not being cleaned up, but something that is given a different production form."
Knežević: The program-production plan is not the Holy Scripture
The editor-in-chief of the Public Service portal, Marko Vešović, said he saw nothing wrong with signing his name under the text and added that he had included a journalistic background.
Camović-Veličković asked Knežević whether the petition, signed by more than 200 university professors, would force him to reconsider his decision to cancel the science shows hosted by Snežana Radusinović.
He said he had nothing to add and reiterated that the PP plan "is not Holy Scripture."
Member Vladmir Drekalović said that he would not support the Program and Production Plan if it remains in this form.
He proposed that the shows "Explorer" and "Eureka" - or one of them - be broadcast once every two weeks. This, he explains, means that they will be 40 minutes long on a monthly basis.
"The show 'Istraživač' carried 300 minutes in a year. 'Eureka' 70 minutes. All in all, 370 minutes per year... My suggestion is that we have two shows of 20 minutes each, and in a year that's 400 minutes. That would mean 20 such program units in a year. The content would be the same. That the journalist who deals with that would be given space."
Knežević said that this was an acceptable proposal for TVCG. Raonić said that the biggest problem with these shows was that viewers could not get used to watching them. He added that it was necessary to find a fixed time slot to avoid confusion.
President of the RTCG Council Veselin Drljević said that the shows "Istraživač" and "Eureka" are returning to the program, as agreed and "as the management assesses."
Assistant Director General for Programming Mitar Rakčević said during the session that RTCG's programming provides reliable information, adding that it will continue to work in a recognizable style - without making a fuss, but emphasizing standards.
He emphasized that the focus will be on online media, and that human resources capacities will be strengthened.
"RTCG will be a source of truthful information, a place of public debate, open to all. And ultimately, a home of quality content," said Rakčević.
The director of Radio Montenegro, Vuk Perović, said that the plan is to remain close to the audience, "above all, visible in the modern media environment."
The cultural and artistic program, he said, will continue to develop, and the music program will promote local authors.
TVCG Director Milan Knežević reminded that the First Program is the central platform of the Public Service. He said that the program is being modernized, and that serious corrections have been made.
"TVCG's second channel continues to develop a recognizable identity as a dynamic and modern channel. In terms of news, TVCG's second channel features informative content for smaller nations...".
Documentary and authorial content, he said, focuses on the relationship between the diaspora and the homeland.
"The RTCG portal is probably the most complex in the Public Service"
Vešović pointed out that the portal is "probably the most complex in the Public Service".
He stated that social networks are experiencing "serious growth," so an increase in followers can be expected on several of them.
"Our plan is to focus on further developing digital services...", he said.
Council member Janko Ljumović said that the good side of the Program and Production Plan for 2026 is "the clear profiling of programs and channels."
He stated that it would be good to provide a statistical overview of program functions, so that it would be “clearly seen how RTCG produces and plans what would be works of lasting value in relation to the program that is broadcast live.” He said that Montenegro does not have enough cultural programs.
Ljumović said that there are situations in which science shows are shut down, mentioning a letter from Snežana Radusinović, the editor of the science series "Istraživač" and "Eureka".
"... Part of the program is extensive, and the other part is minimal. The news and sports program dominates, and the rest is minimal or lacks content. This PP plan is the result of years of experience in its conception," said Ljumović, adding that work should be done on displaying the number of unique visits and focusing on content.
Raonić said that "the document you want would be several hundred pages long," adding that the current PP plan is the result of practice.
"There is no cultural event in Montenegro in which RTCG has not participated... There is no type of independent production that has not achieved some type of cooperation with us... If you ask any cultural institution that currently exists in Montenegro whether they are satisfied with the cooperation with RTCG, I think it will be positive," said Raonić.
Drljević stated that the PP plan "is not Holy Scripture", and that it is also subject to changes throughout the year.
Raonić said that the public was involved during the formation of the PP plan, adding that numerous faculties and institutions were able to submit proposals.
Rakočević: RTCG's revenues and expenses will each amount to 26 million euros
Camović-Veličković said that funds should not be relocated at the end of the year, and that they should return them to the budget if they have any left.
Assistant General Director for Corporate Affairs Goran Rakočević told her that she had not read the Law on National Public Broadcasting well enough.
He said that RTCG is not a budgetary unit that has to return money.
"This summer we also dealt with income. Now we are dealing with two items of expenditure in the total amount of 170.000 euros... Things like this, even in these amounts, are allowed somewhere for management to relocate."
Camović-Veličković told him that he did not attend Council sessions to lecture her, but that he was there to answer to the members of that body.
Rakočević said that revenues, as well as expenditures, will amount to more than 26 million euros.
Personal income is expected to exceed 11 million. Depreciation, according to the proposal, would amount to slightly more than three million.
Council member Nikola Tatar said that he hoped for the benefit of all employees that their salaries would increase.
Rakočević said that they did not have a positive opinion from the Ministry of Finance, and that negotiations with them were ongoing.
Ljumović said he has a dilemma about direct and indirect costs in producing the program.
Camović-Veličković told Rakočević that they should negotiate with the Public Service Union and that it was necessary to reduce the coefficients, as they had suggested.
Rakočević replied that they had received feedback from the Ministry of Finance about the coefficients, but that they were not clearly indicated, but were left in a confusing form.
"An agreement has been reached between the management and both representative unions. What we agreed on, we could pay out. There is no argument that says we cannot. We have reached a limit that is stretched to the maximum, and we could respect all of it and put the employees in a much better position than they are in today. Agreeing is not an argument. That is not how the Ministry of Finance should communicate," Rakočević pointed out.
Camović-Veličković said that more than 380.000 euros are allocated for entertainment programming, but that allocations for children's and educational content are unknown.
"Regarding the Collective Agreement - I understand why negotiations on it have been going on for a year. I saw the very argumentative letter you sent to the Ministry of Finance... It's questionable. They won't give you their consent to this, you're arguing with them for nothing," she said.
Raonic recalled that negotiations lasted a year, and said that he would have a clear plan for next year's finances.
"We will have a meeting on Wednesday at the Ministry of Finance. The letters do not explicitly state anywhere what needs to be changed in order to get approval... Despite the Union's obstruction, management will fight for a salary increase. Remember this sentence," he emphasized.
Five members of the RTCG Council voted for the proposal for the Public Service Broadcasting's financial plan for the coming year.
Discussion and statement regarding the proposal of the Code of Ethics on Amendments and Supplements to the Code of Ethics of the Public Media Service (RTCG) and Introduction to the Ombudsman's Minutes
Camović-Veličković said that the Code of Ethics should be fundamentally changed.
"I am against this change. The Code of Ethics should be fundamentally changed, which is inapplicable even with this change, because it is illegal and unconstitutional," she said.
Ljumović believes that it is necessary to have a Code of Ethics, emphasizing that the discussion should be postponed and clear goals and tasks should be set for that agenda item.
With five positive votes of the Council members, the Code of Ethics of the Public Service was adopted.
Commenting on the actions of sports journalist Nebojša Šofranac, who failed to condemn extremist comments made by fans during a match between the Montenegrin and Croatian national football teams, RTCG Ombudsman Ivan Ivanović said that he did not condemn the situation. He also pointed out that Šofranac said that the atmosphere was great, which is far from the truth in this case.
Camović-Veličković asked him if this was the most difficult case since he became the RTCG Ombudsman. She also said that the editorial staff's position should have been heard before making a decision to implement the strictest disciplinary sanctions.
Drljević said that the Ombudsman's report was missing a statement from Šofranc and his editor.
He believes that Šofranac could not have not known what was being sung at the stadium that night.
"The general manager will not initiate disciplinary proceedings - that is not a good message. I do not support it, nor will I force you to initiate it. The council is someone who creates the policy of this house... We must deal with the case, not the individual."
Council member Filip Lazović told Ivanovic that he had behaved correctly, but that he should have "relaxed the situation."
"In the same way you would ask an actor from a journalist's chair. The impression was that he did something, and that his company immediately gave its opinion," he said.
Camović-Velicković noted that the portal is denying the right to react. She told Ivanovic that the conditions have been met for him to be dismissed, because he is obliged to submit quarterly reports regularly. He has not done so, she points out.
"Here we are today, in December, a year after the appointment, we are getting acquainted with the reports."
Ivanovic told her that there was no need to feel sorry for her, and that if he were removed, a big burden would be lifted from her shoulders.
Drljević instructed Camović-Veličković to initiate a written initiative for Ivanović's dismissal, citing his failure to fulfill his obligations.
"List everything so that we can react in that direction," said Drljević.
Discussion on sublicensing content without media
At the very beginning of the session, Camović Velicković proposed to the Council not to discuss the amendments to the Public Service Broadcasting Code of Ethics today, and that, due to the size of the session, it should be postponed to one of the following ones.
"My proposal was to eliminate the Ethics Committee entirely and return its authority to the Council. This is a fundamental change to the Code of Ethics."
Drljević said that it would be better to have "a more organized Code of Ethics than not have one."
Ljumović said that he was "in a dilemma" because "some ethical issues have arisen."
"The dilemma of overlapping with the Council's own competencies is opening up. It also seems to me that our responsibility has been neglected. Perhaps a thematic session or meeting should be organized during which this would be discussed," he said.
Drljević said that the Code of Ethics should be discussed today. He emphasized that they only have it on paper, but not in practice.
The President of the Council proposed that the discussion on the sublicensing of RTCG-ACG content "due to the sensitivity of the data" be closed to the public, i.e. the media. He said that it was not in the interest of the Public Service for the media to be familiar with the content of "sensitive contracts" now, adding that they would be informed about this in a timely manner.
The Council also accepted the establishment of a special Public Service Gallery, at the initiative of member Naod Zorić.
Bonus video:
