It is with great sadness that we heard of the passing of Goran Vladković, owner and chief editor of Serbia’s OK Radio, who died yesterday in Belgrade at the age of 52. Our deepest sympathies go out to Goran’s family, friends and colleagues, in particular his wife and two children.
Goran was born in Vranje in 1964. After attending the local high school, he studied at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Niš, before becoming involved with OK Radio in the late 1990s. Under his direction, the radio station transformed itself from a small local entertainment broadcaster into one of the most respected news stations in the country. MDIF first provided financing to OK Radio in 2004 and has been a proud partner ever since.
In addition to his position at OK Radio, Goran was also a member of the Association of Independent Electronic Media and Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia.
With Goran’s passing, the Serbian media has lost a valuable colleague and press freedom champion. Goran will be remembered warmly nationally and internationally for his important contribution to independent journalism in Serbia.