ABSTRACT

This chapter presents the political and economic context that enabled the emergence of large media corporations in Eastern Europe. It is the region that carries the stigma of post-communism and the related role of nations in transition under paternalism of the west. Media markets in Eastern Europe virtually do not exist in the purely economic sense of the word. The majority of the media critically depend on the advertisements commissioned by state bodies and institutions. These are awarded to select media rather than being based on economic criteria. The monochromatic media space is primarily reflected in media content production. The Pink Group is a paradigmatic example of the media empire that emerged from the chaos brought about by the war and disintegration of the socialist system in the former Yugoslavia. It pursues a commercial television model that offers cheap entertainment to the audience and media support to the political elite in power.