Three periods are characterized by the development of entertainment phenomenon of the press in Serbia during the four and a half decades since the last third of the twentieth century to the present. The seventies of the twentieth century; nineties of XX and beginning of XXI century; and the current decade post journalism of the XXIst century. The master’s thesis ‘’Phenomenon trash in the entertainment press (content analysis sheets entertainment contents such as ‘Čik’ and ‘Adam i Eva’ in Serbia in the period 1971-1974.)’’ (Todorović, 1977) the author has presented the original classification of contents trash (sex, erotica, pornography, crime, crime sex and crime team, uncomprehensible appearance and unbelievable events, HI, (known showbiz personalities), sportsmen, managers, - Olympians and their private lives are exposed to ‘’public’’ violence and finally contact headings as a substitute for institutions that citizens did not offer right assistance, investigating modalities of application of sensational to the communicated contents. A comparative approach was used to point out what extent is analyzed local entertainment press was just an echo of the world press of the same orientation, so-called. Western models, but also to determine which were its original characteristics caused by Yugoslav specific social, economic, political and cultural events. Half of the sixties time is that, after decades of rapid reconstruction characterized by economic prosperity marked by transformations in the rural industrial urban civilization, problem caused by the influx of unqualified peasants in the cities, a higher general standard of living, offer mass-produced goods. Printed by the contents divided into ideologically informative political as well as commercial entertaining revue.
In the period from 1966th to 1972nd year, in response to a drab uptight press one party Yugoslav society, it was appeared a specific type of show periodicals whose part defined by the common term - the trash. Although the facilities that could fall into this category under the guise of decency infiltrated and family fun illustrated periodicals, the so-called magazines for men openly announced new ‘’freedom’’ longing the survival of some smaller press agencies (‘’Jež’’, ‘’Duga’’) which are standard editions indices a decline in circulation. Then in Belgrade arose ‘’Adam i Eva’’, ‘’Magazin za muškarce’’, ‘’Čik’’. ‘’Adam i Eva’’ in 1971 was reached circulation of 200,000 copies, ‘’Čik’’ of 276,000 copies too! For the first time it was clear in the era of self-managing socialism that the goals of the magazines, comics, exclusively commercial - profits, including extra profit. Insufficiently educated consumers, new citizens, mainly young, did not gain clear criteria imposed on the (non) values . Evening first press aggressively respond to the new medium of television and to the ‘’needs’’ readers for faster and shorter information by jokes humor, feuilltons, comics, pictures of naked girls, gossip, disasters, crime - under the catchy headlines. These contents and such presentations in the latter revue newspapers become dominant, overt alibi to the topics first ‘’serious’’ parts of newspapers, and phenomenon highlighted commercialization was explain with the openness socialistic society which receives the characteristics of the market. At the
beginning these sheets were kind of valves that were further ensured by strength ideological discipline.
At a time of great progress of society, in 1971. the analysis of the ”Čik” contents indicates that most of the space was devoted to ‘’celebrities’’, in the second place there were the ‘’contact sections’’, the third ‘’sex and pornography’’. The third content is, however, appeared as a spice previous topics, just like everyone else. Practically, sex and pornography are the dominant materials. In fourth place there was science fiction, the fifth violence and crime at the end of a strange, supernatural events (Todorović, 2006). The lively graphics formulas, a lot of photos, big headlines that did not always correspond to the content of the texts which were strictly attract readers were fed up with gray informative political press.
Sexually theme that was justified by primarily young audience for information about sex life and sexual education. Cheap editions with color pictures bare imported beauties replaced the authentic response to the real needs of commercial and pseudo products that were ready to occupy the empty space. It was obviously their production was in accordance with Marxian theory began to generate power by encouraging the consumers need for products that created and how they were spending and the very tendency towards consumption. Looking for motives of costumers’ for the press came to the question of value systems appeared, as well as needs and it was stated that at that stage of need for trash began to equalize with the needs for entertainment content in general. Addressing primarily younger and lower educated population groups, using street slang and non-literary language, the press formed a new reader who was less critical than the reader quality newspapers approached to the offered contents. When the press began shyly to criticize quasi social values started to touch the ideological sphere, it created its own picture of the world and the sex ratio, a measure was in 1972. Legislative year technical offensives which were taxed so incriminating publications. ‘’Trash’’ as it is either abolished or forced to change content types and names. However, the trash has never been uprooted because it is transformed into chameleons quickly adapted to every age and every community in which they exist.
The nineties of XX and beginning of XXI century (till 2006th years) with a turning point that occurred in 2000th year, the specific time period in the history of Serbian society, which first began to be called the tabloid. The wars, the collapse of the state, changes in the social order, during the prolonged crisis all spheres of social life from across the political culture to the media, the era of brutal transition and poverty have brought to the specific type of tabloids that are in addition to the common features of the genre and had a specificity resulting from the unique social and historical situations. The crises established a division to achieve quality and made popular press surprised. The first is expensive, requires effort to decode complex texts, unattractive and inaccessible to the extra educated, and poorly educated people. It becomes circulated marginal then It has appeared one subcategory - achieve quality - popular daily and periodical press or half tabloids (‘’Blic’’, ‘’Glas’’, ‘’Evropa’’, ‘’Standard’’), which is compared to the first, high-quality, powerful market oriented
and does not hesitate to content deals with the sensationalist, tabloid manner which has brought significant circulation dailies. Third, tabloid print (‘’Svet’’, ‘’Zona sumraka’’, ‘’Čudo’’, ‘’Kurir’’, ‘’Pres’’, ‘’Skandal’’, ‘’Nacional’’, ‘’Svedok’’, ‘’Balkan’’, ‘’Identitet’’, ‘’Revija 92’’...), achieved in some cases, high circulation and has had a bigger influence on people than its “serious” competitors. The world, for example, had a larger circulation than all of Belgrade’s political weeklies together proving the hypothesis that popularity is more cost-effective than “elitism”. The differences among the analyzed species of the press are evident if we compare their distinctions in advocating for certain values , in the form of address, style and language, as well as the kind of readership that they address (Allan, ibidem).
The most significant difference between the so-called quality-press and tabloids rests on a different approach to information of which the profession is expected to respond to requests for known actuality, importance and curiosity seeking truthfulness and ethics. A third of characteristics of information, fun, was used in print quality as a spice whose function was to make the communication difficult, complex, demanding content easy. At a time when high-quality print circulation dropping in competition with the Internet as a medium primarily for young, and it was in some segments tabloid clothing information in attractive attire and infotainment. Tabloids amused and informed ‘’light’’ activities less subject to the requirements of truthfulness and ethics. These examples are called new manipulations which are largely based on falsehood, which points out the low instincts and that holds the attention of the public is very short, only until the next profitable untruths. Internal research conducted for the purposes of the editorial board of ‘’Zona sumraka’’ has shown that this magazine that the largest part of the content has based on a naive constructions and half sementific theories mostly bought by facile housewives, pensioners and naive high schoolchildren. The tabloids public and private spheres have changed their places so HI has been personalized, softened news with interesting elements of the individual, personal case and dominant experiences. Before 2000 year, some tabloids second phase have started to be politicized unlike foreign models whose owners insists on apolitical except when it has come to intimate lives and financial fraud of politicians and crowned heads (Todorović, ibidem).
The question is why the Serbian tabloids recent time to have been fascinated by politics and politicians, and why are classic tabloid topics (sex, showbiz, crime, gossip) is moved from the front and top side in the second, lighter part of the magazine. Part of the answer lies in the fact that it is a huge difference in the experience of the citizens of Serbia in the recent history of the survivors are in relation to the citizens of Europe and USA. The absolute ruler’s regime, the bombing of the country, unemployment, the collapse of the state and the institutions of the system, the decline of standards and education, the mass influx of refugees, the decline of the general cultural level of media interest in turning to private political scene. From the political actors are expected solutions existential problems of the citizens, seeking to be able to get out. On the front page of the analyzed numbers
of ‘’Kurir’’ and ‘’Pres’’ (according to the authors of this analysis was carried out at 2006) is dominated by politicians, criminals, cops (Seselj, Karic, Maja Gojkovic, Zvezdan Jovanovic, various mayors and officials of the Ministry of Interior). An unholy alliance of politics and showbiz (Dinkic - Keba, Bekuta - Mrkonjic) is especially welcome because of impressionable printing. Celebrities businessmen are required to spice in politics as supporting subjects of tabloid publications which proves Allan’s thesis (to Franklin Allan, ibidem) that the news is always designed and processed to a particular media market in accordance with the interests and needs of the market and with the current estimates of what the editors at any given moment attract the largest number of readers and bring the greatest profit . The
’’newszak‘’ (Allan, 2004:203) term was used by Alan to drew attention to the fact
that the ideological control of journalism as appropriate is replaced by management. As appropriate the revolved process has happened in Serbia too.
The accuracy of the previous paragraph vividly illustrate the changes which has gone through tabloid ‘’Svet’’ was founded in 1991 in Novi Sad as part of the media empire of Robert Coban. During this time Miloshevic’s tabloid published a column by renowned journalists like (Olja Beckovic) and politically intoned an interviews in addition to the usual, tabloid topic – marriage affairs of the political elite among people and criminal affairs of ‘’heroes’’ Belgrade mobsters who have either given the right to manifest one. This magazine has been affected by measures of state repression against the media who have resisted the absolute ruler’s regime, this magazine has, after trips to the PSC sphere 1997th year again been turned to sex, underworld, crime and gossip, paparazzi photos, which has brought new circulation (Todorović, 2006) so in 2001 it was printed on 150 000 copies.
Paradigmatic example is ruination and media lynching of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in some tabloids, but not only them (the ‘’Nacional’’, ‘’Kurir’’, ‘’Balkan’’, ‘’Svedok’’, ‘’Revija 92’’, ‘’Glas javnosti’’, ‘’Identitet’’) after the 2000th year to the murder of the prime minister. According to data published in the Media documentation Ebart2 of 3259 newspaper articles about Zoran Djindjic, published during the peak
of media contra campaign from 2001th to 2003rd year, only 3 percent of the texts was affirmative, 2823 texted (86.62%) were neutral texted and 350 (10.74%) texts were condemnatory and extremely negatively. Campaign to their critical texts gathered in these tabloids began publishing so called ‘’tobacco scandal’’ in Croatian ‘’Nacional’’ they passed the Montenegrin and Serbian ‘’patriotic’’ tabloids nationalistic and populist orientation. It is about the tabloids, which are Legija and JSO idealized and glorified to the murder of Zoran Djindjic, and when they were regrouped after a state of emergency and the change of government in 2004th, started with a systematic campaign of media support for the accused prisoners and relativization of the accusation, the evidence and the judgment (Vasić, 2005). Such actions tabloid media Milos Vasic called ‘’political workshops uninformed’’ and ‘’great articles about patriots and traitors’’. Propaganda, according to this author, expanding and creating special media disposable supporting malicious conspiracy
theories. Ideological manage of these tabloids were evident. Two examples of their common diary ‘’Nacional’’ and the weekly ‘’Identitet’’ was in the year 2003 prohibited.
A year after the murder of Prime Minister Djindjic, 2004 year, two important political events marking the tabloid reporting in Serbia: violence in Kosovo on 17 March 2004 and examples of the non-Albanian population and endangering Serbian sacred receive strong media support as well as the launch of various scandals against co-workers of the late prime minister with immoral affairs. The circulation of ‘’Kurir’’ with the initial 30.000 copies ( 2003rd when after quenching tabloid ‘’Nacional’’ running ) was climbed up during the Kosovo crisis in 170.000 climbed up then it was almost doublesd by reporting directed ‘’lost’’ porn tape of the famous singer named Severina and incriminating footage explicit sex published on the inside of the list when it reached 300,000! Although showbiz theme in combination with sex scandal brings circulation current upswing, this tabloid is still permanently insisted on the politicization of the content and processing murders and crime. These facilities offer the audience a lower educational and financial states at low, dumped prices which explains their popularity and circulation.
And the second stage tabloidization XXI century is characterized by a tendency politicization of Serbian tabloids. Topics politics and sports, and showbiz chronicle dominated tabloid content. Characteristic example, case studies, ruining a politician (former mayor of Belgrade and Democratic Party Dragan Djilas) in tablod ‘’Kurir’’ in articles published from November 1, 2012th-28th February 2013.3 In
the analyzed period of four months was published 59 articles related to D. Djilas which was on the front page 49 times and the author of this study concluded that this politician accused by various irregularities without physical evidence, that has been demonized and that tabloid taken upon itself to the role of the prosecutor before raising any charges.
Nor any other politicians in the tabloid were not protected but the sharpness of their choice and deal with them can suggest pieces belong to the camp. In April 2014th year, just as the politicians usually personality with the front cover of a tabloid. Editorial with photographs of political figures whose affairs were written on the inside of the cover sentencing, exhibiting attitudes: ‘’Mrka and Drobnjak are ready for jail’’ or ‘’Shame on you fraudsters - these are the politicians who hide assets’’ (‘’Kurir’’, April 18, 2014). Or: ‘’Mrki i Velji threatens jail for stealing!’’ (‘’Kurir’’, April 23. 2014). The only positive intoned heading this month is the one on the front page of the formation of the new Serbian government: ‘’Good luck to all of us! Prime Minister Vucic: Reforms begin! Members of the parliament will eat, sleep, wash their face in the Assembly’’ (‘’Kurir’’, April 28. 2014). The impression where there are no untouchables creates the very next day, and on the front page of the same magazine can be read: ‘’He’s going to the end. Prosecution of Thoma’s
3 A case study is part of a study from Master degree student on Faculty of Political Science University
in Belgrade Ileana Milic: ‘’The political abuse of tabloids: the demonization of former Mayor Dragan Djilas, in the tabloid Kurir’’.
friends!’’. Or: ‘’He worned his Minister. Vucic: Kori, sorry you ‘re late! Kori: Vucic, you’re right, a session must start on time!’’.
Firstly, the front pages of this tabloid (6 of 40) are reserved for the most important topic - politics, politicians and political affairs. Other part is devoted to other facilities but the four pages in the section ‘’Planet’’ dedicated to foreign politics. Crime is on three pages represented in the ‘’Chronicle’’ etc.
And in ‘’Informer’’ in the same analyzed period on the front page is dominated politics covered crime, party’s accounts or health bulletin: ‘’Life Drama Miki Rakic one of the most powerful Serbs in the recovery room’’, ‘’Power’’ tycoons robbed EPS (‘’ Informer’’, April, 18. 2014); ‘’Slavica evaded 15,740,365 dinars!’’; or ‘’Goran Jesic hid apartment of 116 m2 and Harley’’ (‘’Informer’’, April 23. 2014). Or ‘’In vain reform with this prosecutor. Scandal! Miljko forgiven 50,000 euro’s bribe for 115,460 dinars!’’ (‘’Informer’’, April 29. 2014). In this tabloid politics and politicians under the heading ‘’news’’ strike occupy the top five of the 32 pages. Its actors are subject to the following articles in the section ‘’News’’. Can extent that they are comparable to only a showbiz personality (‘’Milojko Pantic – I’m fed up with dance, I’m not clown anymore’’, ‘’Mitrovic threw Popovic out Pink’’), scandals and heavy tragedies, ‘’Adriana Lima – Jaric are getting divorced because of her naked pictures’’; ‘’Terror in Kaludjerica - Mark was accidentally killed by his classmates’’.
‘’Blic’’ on the cover there are many headings of which is devoted to politics or political figures: ‘’The Minister Zoran Mihajlovic teaches her son to paint eggs’’ (‘’Blic’’ April 19 and 20, 2014); ‘’Vucic: Flies who is not doing well’’ (‘’Blic’’, April 23. 2014); ‘’The first day of the government - cried for Dacic’’ (‘’Blic’’, April 29. 2014). In some numbers on the front page no political theme: ‘’Who is the famous singers mobster Kristijan Golubovic – Sold drugs, robbing grannies, now TV star’’ (‘’Blic’’, April 24. 2014). And this tabloid is the first 9 out of 44 by dedicated politics, actors, political columns and foreign politics.
In ‘’Naše novine’’ politicians don’t have to be on the front page: theme HI , victims internet pedophiles, different tragedies, athletes and politicians were present when the victims: ‘’Not welcomed the new government - Krka Grandpa died when he was 84!’’ the tragedies are dominant themes: ‘’Tragedy in the schoolyard – A friend killed him kidding around’’?; ‘’Killed woman in the eighth month of pregnancy and her brother-in-low who went to see his newborn son’’ (‘’Naše novine’’, April 23. 2014). And in this politics for tabloid occupies the first pages (5 or more in the section entitled ‘’The focus’’ of a total of 32 pages).
And in the current situation tabloids counted with the audience lower educational levels (with malcontents different determinations and voters populist political options). Aggressive discourse, street vocabulary, lack of relevant