From political and economic pressures on journalism to technology that could change the way radio is consumed, the program of Weekend.19 will connect several topics that show how stories are produced, distributed and preserved in today’s media and popular culture.
One of the guests will be Gerard Baker, a longtime editor and current columnist at The Wall Street Journal. During the panel The Press Under Pressure: Europe and the US, he will discuss the differences between the European and American media environments and the influence of politics, owners, advertisers and algorithms on the work of newsrooms.
Baker has more than three decades of experience in journalism. Today, he writes weekly columns on politics, economics and culture for The Wall Street Journal, while covering American and global issues for London’s The Times. The conversation in Rovinj will also address the media’s own responsibility for declining public trust, as well as the changing boundaries of journalistic freedom on both sides of the Atlantic.
Another part of the program will focus on the future of radio, which marked one hundred years of existence this year. The panel Say DAB for the Next 100 will bring together Jacqueline Bierhorst, President of WorldDAB, Zoran Šprajc, editor and host of the program Stanje nacije on RTL Television, musician Neda Ukraden and Dimitrije Trbović, Member of the Management Board of the Zubak Group.
The conversation will center on DAB+, a technology that offers a wider selection of programs and better sound quality without apps, subscriptions or mobile data usage. Alongside new opportunities for digital advertising, the system also enables the development of temporary radio channels for festivals, concerts, sporting events or tourist seasons.
The marketing segment of the program includes the presentation Directing John Malkovich: I Hear It’s Beautiful, which will be delivered under the patronage of the Croatian National Tourist Board by Pete Radovich, Vice President of Production and Senior Creative Director at CBS, as well as a 45-time Emmy Award winner.
Radovich will present the development of the campaign Croatia: I Hear It’s Beautiful, from the initial idea and the decision to place John Malkovich at its center to the production challenges and the experience of directing the Hollywood actor. The audience will also have an opportunity to see footage from behind the scenes of the project.
The Weekend.19 program will also raise the question of how to turn the life of a public figure, about whom the audience already has a strong and personal image, into a cinematic story. The conversation Next Big Thing: Toše Proeski Film will focus on the making of the film about Toše Proeski and the filmmakers’ responsibility toward his life, musical legacy and the collective memory of audiences across the region.
The project will be discussed by Pece Taleski, film, television and music producer, Igor Stoimenov, director, screenwriter and executive producer, Milana Vlaović, writer, psychotherapist and screenwriter, and Andrej Volkashin, screenwriter, author and director.
More information about the program is available on the official Weekend.19 website.
