Zukorlic's Office Awards 9.8 Million Dinar Media Deals

The ministry without portfolio, which is responsible for reconciliation, regional cooperation and social stability, has awarded two contracts for media coverage of the activities of minister Usama Zukorlic’s cabinet. Together they are worth about 9.8 million dinars before VAT, or roughly 11.8 million with tax. The ministry is working in a caretaker mandate. The figures were published on October 19 by Radio Sto Plus, in a report by Ishak Slezovic, and were also carried by the N1 newsroom.

Who won the television contract?

The contract for television stations went to Sandzak media, a company owned by Salahudin Fetic. It is worth 7.9 million dinars before VAT, or 9.5 million with tax.

The company is obliged to produce and broadcast at least five segments a month on at least two television stations that broadcast in the Sandzak area. The segments are filmed in Novi Pazar, Tutin, Sjenica, Nova Varos, Priboj and Prijepolje, and where needed elsewhere in Serbia and abroad.

Radio and the internet

The radio work went to the company RefRef, represented by Samir Skrijelj. That contract is worth 1.9 million dinars before VAT, or 2.3 million with tax. The obligation matches the television deal in the number of segments: five radio segments a month, broadcast on two radio stations in Sandzak.

The same tender also covers promotion of the cabinet on internet portals and social networks. Until publication it was not known who received that part, so the total of 9.8 million dinars covers only the two contracts that have been awarded. The value of the third part is not stated in the reports we read.

How are the millions split?

Of the amount before VAT, the television contract accounts for about 81 percent and the radio contract for about 19 percent. For both contracts the gap between the price with tax and without it is about 20 percent, which matches the VAT rate.

The number of obligations is equal: five segments a month for television and for radio. The published data do not state how long the contracts run, so neither the price of a single segment nor the total number of segments to be broadcast can be calculated from them.

What has not been published

The Radio Sto Plus report contains no response from the ministry or from minister Zukorlic himself, so it is not known how the ministry justifies the need for these contracts or on what basis the winners were chosen. It also remains unanswered who received the contract for portals and social networks.

The work was awarded during a caretaker mandate, and both contracts are tied to Sandzak, specifically the six towns and municipalities where the segments are filmed.