Local television as a business: Comparative perspectives of commercial television stations in Serbia

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine in which way the following factors influence TV owners‟ strategies for the development of television as a business in the turbulent media market of Serbia: 1) the size of the news market and local media environment, 2) the response to technological changes, 3) economic status of the television outlet, and 4) clientelism. For the purpose of this case study, in-depth interviews were conducted with the owners of six local commercial TV stations located in different regions in Serbia. The results show that instead of developing professional resources for a highly competitive media environment, TV owners are fighting for bare survival. However, their strategies for the development of television as a business can be divided into two camps: one group expects the help of the state to overcome financial constraints, while the other seeks to develop e-business and web advertising as models of sustainable growth on the market.

Cilj ovog rada je da ispita na koji način sledeći faktori utiču na strategije televizijskih vlasnika da razvijaju televiziju kao biznis na turbulentnom medijskom tržištu u Srbiji: 1) veličina medijskog tržišta i lokalno medijsko okruženje, 2) odgovor na tehnološke promene, 3) ekonomski status tele-vizije i 4) klijentelizam. Za potrebe studije slučaja sprovedeni su dubinski intervjui sa vlasnicima šest lokalnih privatnih televizija u različitim regionima Srbije. Rezultati pokazuju da se vlasnici lokalnih televizija, umesto da razvijaju profesionalne resurse za potrebe visoko kompetitivnog medijskog okruženja, bore za opstanak na tržištu. Njihove strategije za razvoj televizije kao biznisa podeljene su u dve grupe: jedna grupa vlasnika očekuje pomoć države u prevazilaženju finansijskih poteškoća, dok druga grupa razvija elektronski biznis i internet oglašavanje kao modele održivog razvoja i rasta na tržištu.