ŠOU to Radio Študent: Privatise yourselves or we will privatise you!

In a meeting about the proposed 2021 budget that took place on January 5th, 2021 the Student Organisation (ŠOU) leaders explained to the representatives of Radio Študent (RŠ) the circumstances that led to the removal of RŠ from the budget. The newly elected Student Assembly led by president Klemen Petek, adviser Andrej Bole and ŠOU’s director Andrej Klasinc confronted RŠ with a choice: leave on your own or we will sell you. We expect your answer in three days, i.e. until January 8th, 2021!

ŠOU’s renouncing the status of founder at such a short notice would be catastrophic for RŠ, as it would lose its status of student programme of special interest. While it is true that ŠOU’s funding accounts for less than a fourth of all the RŠ funding, the founder’s withdrawal of this basic source would jeopardize the entire financing structure which basically derives from the co-financing of numerous domestic and european projects.

What exactly are the guidelines of ŠOU in their activities is a question for them to answer. The largest and oldest independent student radio station in Europe is obviously a burden that should be removed as soon as possible. Another question we are asking ourselves is to what extent ŠOU still complies with the purpose and mission defined by relevant legislation and establishment acts of various forms of student organisations, and if they still represent the interests of the student community as a whole. The key argument for the withdrawing funding for RŠ that emerged during the last meeting of the Student Assembly, the notes of which are publicly available, is that they have problems with journalistic pieces which do not favour the founder and their current parliamentary groups. Another relevant argument was the candidature of independent lists in the student elections which do not share the same view of the world and society as the current ŠOU structures. In short, what bothers them is critical reporting and democratic opposition.

We believe that the student community does not have to live in the bubble of narrow-minded student organisation politics. Does it not count that at our radio station we train approximately 250 apprentices every year and that 50 of these newly trained young people join the community of more than 200 journalists, speakers, technicians, video directors and language editors, which yearly creates more than 5 500 journalistic pieces? That we have one of the best scientific editorial departments in Slovenia which contributes outstanding journalistic writing? That we select and discuss themes from current politics that are otherwise ignored in our media landscape? That our music editorial department has zealously built and defended the status of a unique alternative music platform in Slovenia and wider for 50 years now? It is quite evident that for the leaders of ŠOU this does not count much. They are withholding RŠ funding because of their own financial interests and because of RŠ’s autonomous activity and independent reporting of student issues.

The managerial and editing board, the co-workers and the wider RŠ community will oppose this with all available means. We call for immediate suspension of all attempts to sell off the status of founder and demand the provision of funding for 2021 and 2022 which will enable a two-year transitional period dedicated to gradual re-organisation of the future institutional status of RŠ. We call on the public and relevant institutions that they play an active role in preventing the sell-off and commercialisation of RŠ whereby we understand the efforts to maintain our media and educational mission in the public interest as a fight for the rights of all students and the critical public.