Fast Facts RFE/RL's Balkan Service is the only non-partisan source of news in a region where genuine media freedom remains elusive and many media outlets remain divided along ethnic lines. Languages: Albanian, Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Serbian Established: Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: 1994; Kosovo Albanian Service: 1999; Montenegrin: 2000; Macedonian: 2001 Distribution: Radio (FM, satellite), television, Internet (3 separate websites in 6 languages) Coverage: Seven hours per day on FM and Satellite, 30 minutes weekly on Bosnian TV, 10 minutes weekly on Macedonian TV Over 150 affiliate stations are broadcasting RFE/RL’s Balkan service programs. Locations: Prague, Belgrade, Podgorica, Pristina, Sarajevo, Skopje Staff: 16 in Prague, 24 in local bureaus, and 1245 stringers

Highlights

• RFE/RL’s Balkan Service is the only news organization that engages all sides of the various Balkan divides.
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• The Service’s most popular program, “Bridge,” encourages dialogue and understanding by bringing together people of diverse backgrounds. In 2010, the program facilitated the first ever communication between the mayor of Belgrade and the mayor of Sarajevo. The two men had never spoken before.
• A Belgrade based RFE/RL correspondent helped to uncover the role of several Serbian transportation companies in moving the bodies of Srebrenica victims to cover up the massacre.
• In Kosovo, RFE/RL seeks to fight the fear of “others” and functions as an ice-breaker on sensitive issues.
• In Bosnia, RFE/RL stresses tolerance and a diversity of views beyond any particular majority ethnic group, focusing on E.U. integration and inter-entity cooperation across the Balkans.
• In Macedonia, RFE/RL is considered the most reliable and professional source of information.
• In Montenegro, RFE/RL enjoys strong national distribution and offers a mobile version of its website that is especially popular among young people.
• In Serbia, RFE/RL was the only media outlet to air both news of the charges against Ratko Mladic and the voices of survivors of Srebrenica and the siege of Sarajevo. In a situation where almost half of the population does not consider Mladic guilty of any crime, and some consider him a Serb hero, exposing the crimes of Mladic through interviews with survivors, human rights lawyers, and the family members of victims, RFE/RL is changing the dominant perception of the recent Balkan wars.

updated: 9 February 2012

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

Population
3.8 million (2011 World Bank estimate)

Most Common Languages:
Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian

Press Freedom Index (Freedom House):
Partly Free, ranked 95 out of 197 (2012)

Press Freedom Index (RSF):
59 out of 179 (2012)

Corruption Index (Transparency Int.):
91 out of 183 (2011)

Global Peace Index (IES):
65 out of 149 (2012)

Human Rights Watch:
Report on Bosnia (2012)

Amnesty International:
Bosnia Report (2012)

KOSOVO

Population
2.8 million (2011 UN estimate)

Languages:
Albanian, Serbian

Press Freedom Index (Freedom House):
Partly Free, ranked 98 out of 197 (2012)

Press Freedom Index (RSF):
87 out of 179 (2011)

Corruption Index (Transparency Int.):
112 out of 183 (2011)

Human Rights Watch:
Report on Kosovo (2012)

MACEDONIA

Population
2.06 (2011 World Bank estimate)

Most Common Languages:
Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish, Romany

Press Freedom Index (Freedom House):
Partly Free, ranked 115 out of 197 (2012)

Press Freedom Index (RSF):
94 out of 179 (2011)

Corruption Index (Transparency Int.):
69 out of 183 (2011)

Global Peace Index (IES):
68 out of 158 (2012)

Amnesty International:
Macedonia Report (2012)

MONTENEGRO

Population
632,261 (2011 World Bank estimate)

Languages:
Montenegrin, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Croatian

Press Freedom Index (Freedom House):
Partly Free, ranked 76 out of 197 (2012)

Press Freedom Index (RSF):
107 out of 179 (2011)

Corruption Index (Transparency Int.):
66 out of 183 (2011)

Global Peace Index (IES):
81 out of 158 (2012)

Amnesty International:
Montenegro Report (2012)

SERBIA

Population
7.3 million (2011 World Bank estimate)

Most Common Languages:
Serbian, Hungarian, Bosniak, Romany

Press Freedom Index (Freedom House):
Partly Free, ranked 77 out of 197 (2012)

Press Freedom Index (RSF):
80 out of 179 (2011)

Corruption Index (Transparency Int.):
86 out of 183 (2011)

Global Peace Index (IES):
64 out of 158 (2012)

Human Rights Watch:
Report on Serbia (2012)

Amnesty International:
Serbia Report (2012)