By: Gašper Blažič
“Radio 1 and Radio Antena have banned advertisements inviting people to the protest for the protection of clean drinking water on November 20th at 14:30 in front of Ljubljana City Hall!” announced Aleš Primc, the organiser of the protest.
“In an effort to inform as many people as possible about the rally for the protection of clean drinking water on November 20th at 14:30 in front of Ljubljana City Hall, we, like last month, ordered radio ads on Radio 1 and Radio Antena. Unfortunately, we were informed by the joint commercial department of both radio stations that the management decided not to broadcast the ads anymore,” as was communicated through the newsletter sent to email addresses.
As Aleš Primc wrote, Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković was dissatisfied with the broadcast of the ads on the radio last month and now they are no longer allowed. “Janković does not want people to be informed about his controversial actions because he knows that the majority of people do not support 3,000,000 litters of sewage every day above the water collection points, which is consumed by 400,000 people in Ljubljana. We also understand this ban on our ads as his nervousness,” says Primc. Therefore, it is essential to inform each other and come massively to the next rally on MONDAY, November 20th, 2023, at 14:30 in front of Ljubljana City Hall. “Spread the word!” he further communicates.
Already last week, the e-maribor portal reported that, in response to Aleš Primc’s request to send him an offer for an ad for the rally in front of City Hall, they wrote to him: “Hello! I was informed by the management that we should not air such ads, so unfortunately, it will not happen!” These are radio stations that are part of the Infonet company under the leadership of media giant Leo Oblak. Marketing at Infonet is led by Barbara Pirnat.
The reasons for such a decision are unknown as they refused to explain them. However, such cases of censorship have not appeared for the first time. It can be assumed that Janković is evidently a powerful figure, making it impossible to ignore his interests. There may have been financial pressure on Infonet with the threat of losing financial resources if they publish ads calling for a rally for clean drinking water. It is worth mentioning Janković’s connections with the Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin, as he has not yet returned the controversial Russian decorations. In short, we will continue to monitor the situation.