Unions in Serbia demand REM to stop violent reality shows and close Šimanovci production
Sloga asks REM to stop broadcasts it calls violent and humiliating and to investigate broadcasters’ responsibility.
United Trade Unions of Serbia "Sloga" on 31 October 2026 demanded that the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) immediately open proceedings to stop the broadcast of reality programmes that, the union says, rely on violence, humiliation and the most primitive forms of human behaviour.
The union also asked for an investigation into the responsibility of broadcasters and owners for years of airing such content, arguing that the national frequency is not a private toy and cannot be used to generate profit without accountability to citizens.
Call to close the Šimanovci production
In a sharp statement Sloga demanded direct action against the production located in Šimanovci. The union said: "Immediately shut down the factory of human humiliation in Šimanovci. We condemn the announcement by the owner of Pink Media Group, Željko Mitrović, that he will lay off around 1.000 people in his business system, after some 150 employees were already left without work at the Odeon Theatre."
Sloga criticised Mitrović’s decision to address business problems by cutting jobs rather than abandoning a television concept that, the union says, has poisoned and dumbed down the public for years.
The demand from Sloga adds to a wider debate in Serbia over media responsibility, labour rights and the social effects of mass entertainment formats. The union has called on REM to act urgently and for state institutions to examine whether broadcasters and media owners should face sanctions for long-term dissemination of degrading content.
Photo: press material from the event
