The event gathered senior journalists from public broadcasters, regulatory representatives, and General Directors to initiate professional dialogue on the future of public service media in the region.
Christoph Plate, Director of the KAS Media Programme SEE, opened the conference by emphasizing the unique challenges facing each country. "Since I came to the Balkans about two years ago, I've realized that none of these countries that we operate within is like another. Each has its own histories, challenges, and religious, ethnic, and other particularities. And these need to be reflected in the way they are being reported," he said during his opening speech.
The significance of public service media was further highlighted by Dr. Wolfgang Kreißig, President and Chairman of the Board of the Media Authority in Baden-Württemberg. “Public service media is one of the pillars of democracy,” he stated.
Building on this perspective, the event explored topics such as the role of broadcasters during elections, media regulations, and the financial challenges the sector is facing. As part of the program, the participants visited RTK (Radio Television of Kosovo), tour the studios, and meet with representatives from several of the broadcaster’s channels, including the main channel as well as the one that broadcasts in Serbian.
The conference explored how public service media can maintain their core mission of informing and educating society while upholding democratic values. In the end, all agreed that the solutions to many of the issues facing media in the Balkans do not necessarily lie in Germany, the United Kingdom, or the United States. Instead, valuable concepts and ideas can often be found just next door and may be more suitable for the specific needs of each country.