campaign

Help B92 Campaign

International support campaign for independent media in Yugoslavia, including the famous Radio B92 media center, in operation between March and July 1999.

The campaign was set up by the B92 Support Group, which functioned as an essential lifeline for B92 and other independent media in Yugoslavia, all of whom were struggling to defend free speech and maintain their news services in a dramatic and extrememely difficult environment. To help these journalists maintain links to distribute their news and information, the Support Group provided round-the-clock Internet and RealAudio support from Amsterdam.

General information from the original campaign website:

"HelpB92 was established at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24, 1999.

Radio B92 from Belgrade is the only significant electronic media in Serbia that remained truly independent, both from the regime and from the opposition. Though a local station, with limited range - covering only the centre of Belgrade - the station became the informative, cultural and democratic centre of Belgrade and Serbia. Its programs are original, inventive and of a consistently antiwar, anti-nationalistic flavour.

Representatives from a number of organizations came together in Amsterdam's cultural/political center De Balie to talk about emergency plans in case B92 were to be taken off the air. An office was immediately set up in the attic of the Balie in the heart of Amsterdam with computers and a small audio studio. At the moment about 10 people are busy writing texts, translating them and putting them in HTML.

Everything has been made ready for the provision of (minimal) alternative news service at the moment that B92's journalists are no longer able to continue regular news service via the Web site.

Who are HelpB92?

The founders are B92 (Belgrade), De Balie (Amsterdam), De Digitale Stad (Amsterdam), Next 5 Minutes (Amsterdam), Press Now (Amsterdam), Radioqualia (Australia), De Waag/Society for Old and New Media (Amsterdam) and XS4ALL (Amsterdam).

We welcome other organizations' support of this initiative. Send a short description of your organization, an URL and a small logo to helpb92@xs4all.nl to be added to this list.

Information about the supporting organizations:

B92

For more information about B92 see www.b92.net/eng

De Balie

De Balie is a cultural-political center in the heart of Amsterdam. De Balie has a large cafe and three auditoriums where public events are held almost daily. These include discussions, debates, underground film screenings, multi-day festivals and readings. URL: www.debalie.nl

De Digitale Stad

De Digitale Stad (The Digital City) is a public meeting space on the Internet. With almost 90,000 residents, it is one of the most successful digital communities in the world. URL: www.dds.nl

Next 5 Minutes

The Next 5 Minutes is an international tactical media festival held every three years in Amsterdam. The first edition, in 1993, was devoted to video activism. The second, in 1996, was devoted to the growth of the Internet as an alternative means of distribution of critical information and new art forms. The third took place March 12-14 of this year. Important themes during the festival were the rise of non-governmental organizations and the counter-strategies of multinationals against Net activism. URL: www.n5m.org

Press Now

Press Now is an organization that supports the independent media in Southeastern Europe. It was founded in 1994 by journalists, writers and media experts from that region and the Netherlands. URL: www.pressnow.org

Radioqualia (Australia)

Radioqualia is an organization that researches experimental online broadcasts, mixed with traditional broadcast techniques. Radioqualia is Adam Hyde en Honor Harger. URL: http://radioqualia.va.com.au

De Waag (Society for Old and New Media)

De Waag is an institute for research and development in the social uses of communications technologies. It holds events and produces projects relating to political, artistic and other cultural aspects of new media. URL: www.waag.org

XS4ALL

XS4ALL was the first Internet Provider for individuals in The Netherlands. Founded in 1993, XS4ALL now has over 60.000 customers and ranks as the 3d ISP in the Netherlands. XS4ALL is best known for its public actions in a wide range of internet-issues, varying from privacy and cryptography to a fear stance against wiretapping by state & police. URL: www.xs4all.nl

Public Netbase (Vienna)

Public Netbase is an Austrian Internet content provider, media lab, public access space and organizer of many events, conferences and performances that deal with the new media, and its cultural, artistic, and political implications. Public Netbase brings together experimental technology, artistic practice and critical discourses. URL: www.t0.or.at. Contactperson for the Vienna B92 support campaign: Micz Flor."

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The (partially) archived website can be found here:
http://helpb92.xs4all.nl