Montenegro’s Troubled Public Broadcaster Elects New Chiefs 

The Montenegrin Public Broadcaster RTCG building in Podgorica. Photo: RTCG

"By electing a new management, we will try to make RTCG professional and act as public broadcaster immune to any pressure," the head of Council, Veselin Drljevic, said before the interviews.

Changes in the public broadcaster started on June 11, when the new majority in parliament voted in nine members of Council, opening the way for changes in the RTCG management. On June 17, Drljevic was elected head of the Council, announcing that the broadcaster would be more professional.

After a public call for a new head of RTCG on June 21, the Council confirmed the candidacies of Boris Raonic, from the NGO Civic Alliance, the former editor of the daily paper Dan, Nikola Markovic, the head of local television in Niksic, Milutin Stijepovic, and an RTCG journalist, Srdjan Covic.

Ahead of the interviews for the new management candidates, RTCG head Bozidar Sundic resigned on Thursday, accusing political parties of interfering in RTCG's editorial policy. According to his contract, Sundic will get 30,000 euros in severance pay.

"We have been praised and challenged, criticized and rewarded. But we tried to remain consistent with ourselves and to the principles of free and impartial journalism and objective information," Sundic said in a press release.

On Friday, the now opposition DPS called for the annulment of elections for a new RTCG director, claiming that Markovic and Raonic have the support of the new ruling coalition.

In past years, the broadcaster was accused by media organisations and NGOs of unprofessionalism, while the parties that form the new majority in parliament have long called it a mouthpiece for the ousted now DPS.

The appointment...