After Croatia's Ministry of Culture and Media issued a press release earlier on Tuesday about N1 television, the programming and news director of N1 television issued a reply in the form of an open letter.

“Dear Minister of Culture and Media,

The Government of the Republic of Croatia creates the legal framework which directly regulates the market, and thus decides on issues of media freedom in a democratic society.

The government is responsible for the current situation because it has not changed the Law on Electronic Media for years, which would have created free-market conditions as it exists in all countries of the European Union. Therefore, the government is directly responsible for the situation that not only N1 television is in, but also all the media in Croatia.

Because of such state of affairs which went on for years, media outlets in Croatia found themselves under pressure, and some of them have been destroyed and shut down.

What is happening now to N1 television has been happening to other television channels as well. A few years ago Discovery and Eurosport channels, and everyone else who couldn’t count on the protection that they have in the legislation of European countries, were shut down in Croatia.

The government’s inaction led to the current situation of a duopoly of two providers who control 90 percent of the market. In such circumstances, one cannot speak of “commercial relationships” that the government says they have no knowledge of.

So, I am directing a simple question to you:

When will you change the Law on Electronic Media and harmonize its provisions with the legislation of the European Union?

When will you create the conditions and open a call for tenders to award available national television frequencies?

Tihomir Ladisic
N1 television’s news and program director

(Operating in Croatia as part of United Group are the telecom operator Telemach Hrvatska, as well as television channels and websites Sport Klub and N1, Nova TV, Doma TV, and Dnevnik.hr.)