RTS HOST REMOVED FROM THE AIR: Dragan Vučelić: “I did not want to remain silent. If that is the price, I will pay it with pride!”

We are publishing in full the statement by Dragan Vučelić, RTS announcer and host:

I had been the host of the Cultural News program since it was launched. I am no longer.

I did that job for more than thirteen years and hosted nearly two thousand editions. I was removed from the position without any official notification and, consequently, without any explanation whatsoever. I learned about it through informal conversations with colleagues, and several days later from written media reports announcing a new Cultural News program in which I am not among the hosts.

Changes within programs are commonplace in television programming. However… this change is strange, to say the least. I was never given any criticism of my work, nor was I ever asked to change anything about the way I performed my job. On the contrary! I was honored with awards for my work on several occasions. I did not violate professional standards, but apparently I did violate some other rules.

Yes, I did not remain silent. Yes, I publicly reminded people that the public broadcaster belongs to the citizens who pay for it, not to the individuals who run it. Yes, I stood with my colleagues when we were insulted and humiliated, in order to defend the dignity and reputation of the institution where I work. I have reasonable grounds to suspect that this is where the reasons for my removal from the screen lie.