Identity Statement

Reference Code

HU OSA 338-0-1

Title

Off-Air Recordings of Television Programs

Date(s)

1990 - 1994

Description Level

Series

Extent and medium (processed)

60 VHS PAL, 1.5 linear meters

Content and Structure

Scope and Content (Abstract)

The collection contains programs from a wide spectrum of television stations from the former Yugoslav region. Overall, it has programs broadcast by 27 different channels, with the majority of programs coming from the Radio Television of Beograd/Radio Television of Serbia and Studio B. The period under coverage captures the centralization of previously autonomous, regional and local TV stations, under the new umbrella TV station, Radio Television Serbia (RTS). This change, starting from January 1, 1992, is especially important to be noted from an archival and a research perspective, as it manifests the centralization of the media after 1992 and their instrumental use for political purposes of the Milošević regime.

Besides TV stations under tight control of the state, the collection also contains programs broadcasted from independent TV stations, which also gave voice to the Serbian opposition, such as Studio B. Several news programs of Yutel Sarajevo, covering mainly the period between February and September 1991 are also available.This variation opens a possibility to analyze how many important issues at the time (e.g. war in Croatia and Bosnia, elections, popular protests) were covered in state controlled and independent media.

The spectrum of events covered in the collection opens many different avenues for research. As rich as it is, the collection is not only valuable for historians of the former Yugoslavia but also for researchers of electoral politics, nationalism, human rights, media studies (content and discourse analysis), social movements, identity politics, and peace and conflict studies.

Among the most extensively covered events which offer starting points for a variety of research within the social sciences and the humanities, the collection includes: the student protests in Serbia from 1991; the anti-government protests in Serbia organized by the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) on March 9, 1991, containing raw footage of clashes between protesters and the police, as well as speeches of Vuk Drašković; electoral campaigns ahead of elections in 1992 and 1993 in Serbia, including numerous presentations, rallies of candidates and political parties and round table discussions; the so called Špegelj tapes, the infamous three-day Session of the Presidency of SFR Yugoslavia from March 12-15,1991; the coverage of the start of war in Slovenia and Croatia; interviews with the leaders of paramilitary units during the war in Croatia; interviews with Yugoslav leading political and military figures at the time: Slobodan Milošević, Milan Panić, Franjo Tuđman, Alija Izetbegović, Veselin Šljivančanin Vojislav Koštunica, Zoran Đinđić, Vuk Drašković, Radovan Karadžić, Dobrica Ćosić, and Biljana Plavšić; interviews with foreign politicians and representatives of international organizations on the Yugoslav wars, including as Francois Mitterrand, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, John Major, Cyrus Vance, and Lord David Owen.

Accruals

Not Expected

Conditions of Access and Use

Conditions governing access

Unknown

Languages

Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian

Description Control

Archivist's note

Processed by Ana Cukovic, Perica Jovchevski, and Milos Resimic, 2017; revised by Csaba Szilagyi, September, 2017.