N1 television, the first regional and local 24-hour platform for broadcasting news and current affairs and exclusive CNN affiliate, is celebrating its 7th birthday today. It was launched on October 30th, 2014, by broadcasting regional news at 2 p.m.

It is celebrating its birthday as the most-watched cable information channel in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia and the source of news that citizens in all countries trust the most.

Aleksandra Subotic: I am proud of the success of N1

Aleksandra Subotic, the executive director of N1 and United Media, points out that she is proud of the success that N1 television has achieved in the last seven years:

“In the past seven years, N1 television has become a trusted brand, a synonym for professional, serious and responsible journalism. At a time when the media do not have the strength, hampered by censorship and self-censorship of journalists and editors, N1 shows every day what real, independent journalism looks like and how important the role of such media is in society.

We have seen this, especially during the past year, when citizens, faced with all the challenges brought to us by the pandemic, in a sea of false news and semi-information, searched for a medium they could trust, and turned to N1.
I am proud of the success we have achieved; that N1 asks questions and insists on answers every day, reports on all aspects of the reality that surrounds us and gives viewers an insight into the most important news, and at the time of constant pressure on the independent media, N1 journalists have the courage to be journalists.”

Peter Horrocks: N1 is determined to offer the truth to the audience

Peter Horrocks, the advisor to the editorial board of N1, states that N1 is a rare phenomenon at the international level – an independent, high-quality, fully commercially funded information channel which plays a role that a real public broadcasting service such as the BBC should otherwise play.

“I am convinced that the editorial board of which I am a member, completely fulfills the obligation for N1 to be impartial and honest. Yet, in societies like Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia, where information is largely owned and controlled by one side of politics, bias is misunderstood as fairness. Those critics are wrong.

N1 welcomes its anniversary with confidence and is determined to provide the audience with the best possible truth.
N1 plans to strengthen digital engagement with the audience and strengthen its role in discovering problems in society, to demand and achieve changes.

I expect N1 to play an even more significant role for the region in the next seven years.”

Adrian Wells: N1 has established itself as a leading news channel

Adrian Wells, the advisor to the editorial board of N1, emphasizes that, seven years after its founding, N1 has established itself as the leading information channel in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Internationally, and in each of the countries and territories in which it operates, N1 is considered a strong promoter of sharp but honest journalism.

Broadcasting and digital media have a key role to play in any democratic country: to inform their viewers and readers and to ask questions of the authorities.

The atmosphere and state of society are healthier if there is a dynamic opposition of different opinions and freedom of expression. The new media platforms are open to the threat of manipulation and fake news, so it is essential that N1 continues to operate and be a credible source of news and information available to all users. Congratulations to N1 on the first seven years, but also on future work!”

Tihomir Ladisic: The most challenging year is behind us

News director of N1 Croatia Tihomir Ladisic said that this was the most challenging year since the beginning of broadcasting in Croatia.

“We were faced, as well as the whole world, with the Covid-19 crisis, and we did everything to remain an important and reliable source of accurate, verified and science-based information for our audience on the TV program, on the web and on our social networks.”

At the same time, we reported, faced with risk, live from the covid hospital wards, from testing and vaccination centers, but also from all relevant scientific and verified sources. In such conditions, we monitored the local elections in Croatia, and the consequences of the devastating earthquake, reconstruction and assistance to people who lost their homes.
Concurrently, we were faced with the struggle for survival on television, due to the disastrous consequences of the existing duopoly of two telecom operators on the Croatian market as a consequence of a poor and outdated legal solution in the Law on Electronic Media.

In our public speeches and in reporting, we emphasized the need to change the law, as a struggle for the public and democratic interest of all citizens in Croatia. At the end of the year, the Law on Electronic Media in Croatia was amended, largely due to our media reporting and due to the public action as well.

We believe that, especially this year, we have fulfilled our mission: despite all the pressures and temptations, we have remained a free and democratic medium in the interest of our viewers, readers and the public in Croatia.

Igor Bozic: The team of brave and persistent N1 journalists is not giving up

News director of N1 Serbia said that after seven years, when you say N1 in Serbia, there is not a person in Serbia who will not have an opinion of his/her own, regardless of whether he or she has the opportunity to watch us or not. As much as the government has persistently tried to present us as political opponents, we have been only journalists from the beginning.

Professional journalism has guided us since the first shots of television and the first words published on the website and the audience recognized that. When breaking news happens, N1 has always been the first source of information, even to those who see us as political opponents. This is because they know that we do not lie and do not work for interest groups. When the elections are happening in Serbia, everyone is waiting to find out from N1 what the real truth is, knowing that only we can be trusted in a country where other media are trapped. This is why the pressures on us are intensifying. Because of this, the rival of SBB, the state-owned company Telekom, set the destruction of the media in UM in its basic goals.

We know that these pressures will not stop, that they will intensify in the pre-election period and that new attacks await us. Nevertheless, we know that we will not give up on our profession. We are not giving up on development, on the introduction of new TV formats, and we are turning more strongly towards convergence in the digital world because we know that our audience is educated and focused on new technologies. We are aware that there are young people who get information exclusively on mobile phones, so our goal is to find a way to them.

There are many challenges in the coming period for N1, but the team of brave and persistent journalists is determined not to give up despite all the pressures.

Seven years of life on air. The life translated into N1 news and shows

News director of N1 Bosnia noted that to us, journalism is not only a job, it is a challenge and mission, a tough but honourable fight for truth. We live your stories. And when they try to intimidate you with new divisions and conflicts, when you need to prepare your loved ones for leaving, when they confuse you and exhaust you with their political games and manipulations, we are here as your shelter and an oasis of truth. Thank you for your trust and for making us the most-watched cable TV channel, the most popular news channel and one of the most appreciated digital platforms.

The indicators of N1’s rating and the number of visits on our internet platforms, as well as the support you show us on daily basis, are a strong incentive to our team and are encouraging us to boldly and persistently go further.

In this most challenging year since the beginning of N1 broadcast, we remained consistent with the principles of

professional ethics and high standards of journalism, always truly devoted and maintaining professional enthusiasm. In an effort to always be on the spot where the news starts, to get to the core of the problem through our investigative stories, to ask on your behalf both in the studio or in the field, we are often exposed to threats and attacks by those who has no interest in truth. Although competent institutions demonstrate no will to protect the freedom and uninterrupted work for journalists, we will be there where others do not want or do not dare to be, reporting on real life, being your voice and demanding the answers to the toughest questions

Every challenge is making us even stronger, we are carried by the wish to remain the platform of your trust. We are not giving up on you or our profession, we keep growing. We are enhancing our current and introducing new content. We are in the middle of the process of stronger connectivity between TV and the web, and soon you will witness even more modern technologies.

Watch, listen, read N1.