Monitor
(
Serbo-Croatian pronunciation:
[m?nitor]
) is a weekly
news magazine
published in
Podgorica
.
History
[
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]
Started on October 19, 1990 by journalist
Milka Tadi? Mijovi?
, media publisher
Miodrag Perovi?
and businessman Stanislav Koprivica, the magazine appeared at a time when the
single-party political system
in
SFR Yugoslavia
had been abolished and its constituent republics were preparing for parliamentary elections with multiple parties.
The
Socialist Republic of Montenegro
was ruled by the
Yugoslav Communist League
's (SKJ)
Montenegrin branch
(SKCG); more specifically the triumvirate of
Momir Bulatovi?
,
Milo đukanovi?
, and
Svetozar Marovi?
[1]
who were swept into power the previous year during the
anti-bureaucratic revolution
, an administrative putsch within Montenegrin Communist League initiated by
Slobodan Milo?evi?
and carried out with the great deal of help from the state security apparatus that he had gained control of by this time.
Publications
[
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]
The first issue of
Monitor
was printed in
Sarajevo
in 20,000 copies and then distributed in SR Montenegro where it sold in symbolic numbers?only couple of hundred of copies. Although the magazine listed 76 individuals as its founders (among them politicians
Slavko Perovi?
,
?arko Rak?evi?
,
Ljubi?a Stankovi?
,
Dragi?a Burzan
, etc.
[2]
), in actuality only the editor-in-chief
Miodrag "Mi?ko" Perovi?
and main financier Stanislav "?ano" Koprivica had actual influence on its editorial policy. Following the poor sales of the first issue, the magazine effectively went bankrupt and was only kept alive via individual donations. The subsequent eight issues were also printed in
Sarajevo
.
Since Koprivica also generously financed the
Liberal Alliance of Montenegro
(LSCG) and
Social Democratic Party
(SDP),
Monitor
was in essence another arm of the same political front. Somewhat similar in tone and political stance to other newly-launched liberal publications throughout Yugoslavia such as
Belgrade
's
Vreme
or
Split
's
Feral Tribune
,
Monitor
was also critical of the rising
nationalism
across the country, especially of the Slobodan Milo?evi?-led authorities in
SR Serbia
. Furthermore, it also frequently criticized the
SR Montenegro
leadership, considering them to be Milo?evi?'s pawns.
As the League of Communists of Montenegro transformed into the
Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro
(DPS) in July 1991 and Yugoslavia began to disintegrate through
war
,
Monitor
adopted an anti-war stance with pointed criticism of Montenegro's involvement and effort in it through the attack on
Konavle
and the
Siege of Dubrovnik
. Managed out of a family house in Podgorica's Dalmatinska Street, the magazine intensely criticized the ruling DPS party and its leadership: Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo đukanovi?, Montenegrin President Momir Bulatovi? as well as party's leader at the time Svetozar Marovi?. Its makeshift offices were even fire bombed during the Siege of Dubrovnik. During the same period, and especially following the creation of the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
after the
1992 Montenegrin referendum
,
Monitor
was a strong supporter and advocate of Montenegrin independence, which even more aligned it politically and ideologically with LSCG and SDPCG.
By spring 1994, Koprivica mostly ended his financial support of
Monitor
, which is when Mi?ko Perovi? took over that aspect of the magazine's operation as well. Organizationally, the magazine was under the umbrella of Perovi?'s
Montenegropublic
company. Although
George Soros
already had a prominent part in
Monitor'
s financing through the local branch of his newly founded
Open Society Institute
network, this affiliation became even more pronounced after Koprivica left.
In September 1995, the magazine's place in the
Montenegropublic
's organizational structure changed when it was registered within the company as a distinct entity with
?eljko Ivanovi?
as its managing director.
[3]
On the same occasion, the same was done with
Montenegropublic
's other assets: radio station
Antena M
and radio production studio Mouse.
By the late 1990s, most on the list of original owners signed their stake in the magazine over to Perovi?, who thus basically became the sole owner.
[4]
See also
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]
References
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]
External links
[
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]