Balkan Children's TV Magazine - The Balkans
DTV Production and Prix Jeunesse produced a 15-minute weekly television magazine aimed at young people aged 9 to 14 in the Balkans. The show was broadcast through August 2005 in 5 regions: Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, and Macedonia. The aim of this show was to help children learn that mutual understanding is important for their futures.
Communication Strategies
The TV format included a studio presentation and 3 "packages" in each of 3 local languages - Serbian, Albanian, and Macedonian - using subtitles to preserve original voices as an important part of cultural difference. This strategy is reflective of an editorial policy that strives to retain the values of every local society, while also promoting the democratic values that this region is working to understand and embrace.
The 43 episodes focused on children's issues and featured children speaking from their own perspectives about different topics. Although children did not participate in the production process as the series was developed, engaging them in production is a long-term goal.
In addition to television, communication with viewers was accomplished through the Internet. As of this writing, the DTV website is available in Serbian language only; eventually, an interactive site will be developed in 3 local languages plus English. There is one page in English, focused on a project called "This is Me: a Balkan Kid's Mosaic" - click here for that web page. Email and telephone were the other means for seeking feedback from, and fostering dialogue among, viewers.
The planning and production process reflected an emphasis on partnership. Four workshops were held; the final workshop late in 2003 was organised and co-hosted by Prix Jeunesse International, UNESCO, OSCE Pristina, Goethe Institut Belgrade, and DTV Production Belgrade. 18 participants from 12 TV stations attended this workshop as part of a focus on achieving full coverage in the region. Coordination and post-production was organised from 1 head centre and 3 language centres in Belgrade, Pristina, and Skopje. At least one TV station in each region broadcast the magazine, and the programme is free for broadcasting to any other stations that wish to show it.
A single pilot episode was produced in January 2004; 43 episodes in total were produced and televised through August 2005.
The 43 episodes focused on children's issues and featured children speaking from their own perspectives about different topics. Although children did not participate in the production process as the series was developed, engaging them in production is a long-term goal.
In addition to television, communication with viewers was accomplished through the Internet. As of this writing, the DTV website is available in Serbian language only; eventually, an interactive site will be developed in 3 local languages plus English. There is one page in English, focused on a project called "This is Me: a Balkan Kid's Mosaic" - click here for that web page. Email and telephone were the other means for seeking feedback from, and fostering dialogue among, viewers.
The planning and production process reflected an emphasis on partnership. Four workshops were held; the final workshop late in 2003 was organised and co-hosted by Prix Jeunesse International, UNESCO, OSCE Pristina, Goethe Institut Belgrade, and DTV Production Belgrade. 18 participants from 12 TV stations attended this workshop as part of a focus on achieving full coverage in the region. Coordination and post-production was organised from 1 head centre and 3 language centres in Belgrade, Pristina, and Skopje. At least one TV station in each region broadcast the magazine, and the programme is free for broadcasting to any other stations that wish to show it.
A single pilot episode was produced in January 2004; 43 episodes in total were produced and televised through August 2005.
Development Issues
Children, Cultural Understanding.
Key Points
The organisers say that, in recent decades, people in the Balkans have been encountering various problems related to the fact that they do not work to understand and communicate with each other. The organisers believe that projects like this one can help future generations see differences not as handicaps but, rather, as advantages.
Partners
DTV Production, Prix Jeunesse.
Sources
"Step by Step: Launching a Balkan Children's TV Magazine", in Prix Jeunesse's WatchWords, 2003 Xmas Issue; and letters sent from Aleksandar Jankovic to The Communication Initiative on January 5 and January 19 2004 and December 6 2005.
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