With the last news broadcast today at 12:25 p.m., Al Jazeera Balkans officially ceased operations.
The last news was hosted by Dalija Hasanbegović Konaković, and after a regular review of current events, she greeted the Al Jazeera Balkans audience and thanked them for their trust.
“Dear viewers, this was the last news broadcast of Al Jazeera Balkans. Thank you for almost 14 years of trust. We are proud of each of the 4,970 days we have spent serving you. We are signing off from our central studio in Sarajevo,” said Hasanbegović Konaković.
Al Jazeera Balkans will continue to broadcast previously recorded content until the end of this month, after which the signal will be turned off.
This will also bring to an end the successful work of the regional television project AJB in the Balkans, which has lasted fourteen years.
Al Jazeera’s management has not yet announced an official reason for this decision.
The employees also said goodbye to the viewers on the portal of that media, stating that the entire Al Jazeera Balkans team is proud of each of the 4,970 days they spent serving viewers and readers.
“We have always tried to be the voice of those whose voices are not heard, an island of truth, a culture of dialogue and ethical journalism. We could not have done any of this without your trust and support. Thank you for being with us,” it was stated on the Al Jazeera Balkans portal.
In the past 14 years, Al Jazeera Balkans has been particularly recognizable for its original content related to the documentary segment, but also a number of other projects. It is the first television station to broadcast a program in a language other than Arabic and English.
Al Jazeera Balkans covered the regional market with offices in Belgrade, Zagreb, Podgorica, Skopje, Ljubljana and Pristina.
It has been present in Sarajevo since mid-September 2010. In 2018, Al Jazeera Balkans established AJB DOC, a documentary film festival held in Sarajevo every September.
The independent union of workers at BHRT said it fully supports journalists and other employees of Al Jazeera Balkans (AJB). The union said the closure of AJB was a major blow to media pluralism and freedom of expression.
