In front of the HRT headquarters in Zagreb, employees gathered today to bid farewell to departing colleagues and to send a clear message: they are determined to defend the values of public service broadcasting. “We won’t be silent. We won’t give up,” was the rallying cry at today’s protest organized by staff and collaborators of Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT). The protest brought together people from across all departments – journalists, editors, technicians, musicians, cameramen, sound engineers, video editors, producers – all of whom contribute their work, knowledge, and dedication to creating public service content every day.
“We are here today to say goodbye to more than 300 colleagues who are leaving – not because they found better jobs, but because they can no longer endure the uncertainty, the wear and tear, the lack of vision for what a public broadcaster should be,” said Maja Sever, an HRT journalist and the president of both the Croatian Journalists’ Union and the European Federation of Journalists.
Instead of stability and strategic development, HRT is entering a new phase of uncertainty driven by the so-called “Consolidation Plan” – a document that, despite widespread criticism, received strong support from the parliamentary Committee on Media and the ruling majority.
“HRT is not for sale. HRT is not just a building, spreadsheets, or algorithms – HRT is the people who create the programs,” said HRT employees.
Sever emphasized that many at HRT still believe in public service media, want to produce high-quality programming, and earn their living fairly. “We’re staying because we believe in public service broadcasting. We’re not here for the pay or for job security, and we are certainly not the freeloaders we are often labeled as. We are people who understand the mission of public service – unlike our management,” she said.
She called on workers to remain united and to continue working constructively on demands that will be presented to HRT leadership, the government, and parliament.
“While we warned that the Consolidation Plan was heading in the wrong direction, the parliamentary committee gave even more power to Robert Šveb (HRT’s Director General) to continue a consolidation modeled after highways. With all due respect to everyone working on highways – we are not highways. We are creatives, and we know how to make content that people love,” Sever added.
“We didn’t gather here out of nostalgia or anger – we came together because we feel a sense of responsibility, because we know this institution can be better. We came to show that we’re still here, that we won’t be silent, and that HRT still has people who know how to make good programs – and who understand what public service broadcasting should be: independent, professional, diverse, accessible to all, a space for creativity, public discourse, art, knowledge, and dialogue. That’s why we refuse to stay silent while this value is systematically dismantled. We reject a cost-cutting logic that fails to distinguish between excess and what truly matters.”
“This isn’t consolidation – it’s outsourcing,” said Niko Kostanić from HRT’s Technical Workers’ Union. “Do you know why? Because they can’t take a cut of your salary. They want to shut down public service broadcasting as of April 1st. Whether they succeed depends on us. So let’s fight.”
Among those taking severance is longtime announcer Helena Knezić, who is leaving HRT after 23 years.
“I leave without answers to many questions, but I leave with peace and gratitude for having lived my life in this institution – yes, lived. Lived this job and lived from this job, which is so specific, and yet so deeply mine. HRT is all of you – that’s what I’ll remember and keep loving,” she told her colleagues in an emotional farewell.
The gathering clearly expressed opposition to the “Consolidation Plan” – a document passed without meaningful public debate, despite well-founded criticism from professionals. The plan, they said, offers no real reform but instead imposes administrative cuts that ignore the complexity and value of public media. Rather than strengthening content, infrastructure, and the people who make it possible, the plan frames essential professionals as a burden and provides no clear vision for what HRT should become after layoffs.
The message is clear: actions will continue. Today’s protest sparked new energy and solidarity among colleagues – even among those who had previously stayed silent. There is no longer room for passivity. They firmly declared that they will not let HRT become a pale shadow of the public broadcaster it should be. They will not remain silent while orchestras are disbanded, editorial teams are downsized, and educational and cultural programs are axed. They reject the logic of austerity that doesn’t save money, but instead erodes public value. HRT does not belong to the political majority. It does not belong to consulting firms. HRT belongs to the public – this is the message from those who serve the public through their work in public media.
In the days ahead, HRT employees and union representatives plan to continue their efforts – with new actions, partnerships with professional and cultural organizations, and ongoing public advocacy for preserving HRT as an independent, multimedia, and cultural institution that serves the people. Today they sent a message. Tomorrow they carry on – because they know what they are fighting for: the right to do their jobs with dignity, professionalism, and in the public interest.