U.S. Embassy Organizes Digital Media Conference for Countries of Southeastern Europe

For Immediate Release - November 18, 2009

Zagreb, November 18, 2009 - On Thursday, November 19, Ambassador James Foley will make remarks at the opening ceremony of a regional media conference: “The Digital Transition:  A Regional Conference on Media in Southeastern Europe.” The opening ceremony will take place at the Faculty of Political Sciences, Lepusiceva 6, and will start at 6:00 p.m.

At the opening, Ambassador Foley will announce the donation of over $23,000 of equipment for the University of Zagreb’s journalism school’s student TV studio.  This donation continues a tradition of many years of partnership with the journalism school, in which the Embassy has provided other equipment and sponsored visiting professors  and speakers.  Students from the journalism school will assist in the organization of the media conference. 

The conference will take place at the Hotel Palace in Zagreb, November 20-21. Participants from  Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia will look at how emerging and converging technologies are changing the media landscape in Southeastern Europe in an era of digitalization and economic crisis. The conference will take place at the Hotel Palace, Trg  J.J. Strossmayera 10, in Zagreb at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, November 20.

Three media experts from the United States will attend the conference to share their experience and provide insights into the latest trends in the United States: Kent Collins, Chair, Radio-Television Journalism, University of Missouri Journalism School; David Mathison, Media Expert, Consultant, Author of Be the Media; and J. Eric Braun, Digital Media Convergence Consultant.

Members of the press interested in covering the opening ceremony at the Faculty of Political Sciences on November 19, interviewing conference speakers, and/or reporting from the two-day regional media conference at the Hotel Palace, should contact Ms. Anja Picelj-Kosak at the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Office, phone 091-455-2284, e-mail: picelja@state.gov.