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E-mail: pubaff@ibb.gov

Over 25 percent of those surveyed on Oct. 4 had listened to RFE/RL on the previous day, making the U.S.-funded broadcaster Serbia’s number-one radio station during the crisis. 

Twenty percent of those surveyed tuned into the Voice of America the previous day, making it Serbia’s fourth-most listened to station during the crisis. Thirty-seven percent said that they had listened to RFE/RL during the ten days since the Sept. 24 elections, while 31 percent said that they had listened to VOA during the same period.

The second-most-listened to station during the crisis was Radio Beograd (state radio) at 20.7 percent of those surveyed reporting that they had listened the previous day, while the third was Belgrade-based independent B2-92 at 20.4 percent.

The BBG-commissioned survey, which was conducted for the Washington-based audience and market research firm Intermedia Survey Institute by the Belgrade-based Institute for Social Sciences, polled 1,104 Serbians. 

The Intermedia survey also showed that among other international broadcasters, 12.9 percent of Serbians reported listening to the BBC World Service the previous day, while 12.5 percent tuned into DeutscheWelle.

Last week’s survey also asked respondents about their votes in the Sept. 24 presidential election. Nearly 59 percent said that they had voted for eventual winner Vojislav Kostunica while18 percent said that had voted for Slobodan Milosevic. 

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s South Slavic Service broadcasts a total of 9 hours and 40 minutes per day to Yugoslavia, and the Voice of America broadcasts three hours daily in Serbian.

Contact:  Joe O’Connell
Phone: 202-619-2538