Dear friends,
In the name of RTV Slovenia I am proud to consent and to announce the candidature of RTV Slovenia – Regional RTV Centre Maribor to be the organiser of the 26th Annual Circom Regional Conference in 2008 in Maribor.
RTV Slovenia has been an active member of Circom for many years. In these years a great deal of work and knowledge was contributed into our organisation by some of RTV Slovenia’s very

best human resources. As you are aware, there was a secretariat of Circom regional in Slovenia for 6 years and Boris Bergant, who is now my advisor for international cooperation, was also the president and general secretary of your organisation.
A selection of the best shows of regional European TV Stations was organised this year by the Regional RTV Centre Maribor – the Prix Circom 2006, while in 2003 the hosting of the executive committee took place. In all these events the Regional RTV Centre Maribor has proven itself to be a successful organiser and a friendly host to such events. We are especially proud of the fact that we were able to provide the most modern working conditions in terms of technology for this year’s Prix jury in the entire history of the event.
The year 2008 is a special year for RTV Slovenia. In the first half of 2008 Slovenia will chair the European Union while RTV Slovenia will celebrate many distinguished and venerable anniversaries: the 80th anniversary of Radio Slovenia, 50th anniversary of Television Slovenia and the 40th anniversary of the first TV studio in Maribor, which had at that time marked the beginnings of the current regional television in North-East Slovenia. We would be honoured if we could share but a small part of our creativity and delight at these jubilees with you.
RTV Slovenia has two regional centres in Koper and Maribor and an extensive network of correspondents all over the country. Television and radio signal in Maribor cover 40% of Slovenia’s populace that live in the four provinces of North-East Slovenia. In both regional centres are striving for cooperation in their respective provinces with partner TV stations from abroad. In this manner the TV Koper/Capodistria in cooperation with RAI 3 from Trieste is already producing an international magazine named Lynx, while TV Maribor is forming an initiative for a new international magazine, which would be produced in cooperation with Austrian ORF, Hungarian MTV and Croatian HRT. In both regional centres we are gradually introducing numerous changes in the programme and technological changes, bimediality and video journalism. We are preparing for full transition to radiofusion after 2010.

Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia, an important regional centre in Middle Europe, on a crossroads between the Adriatic Sea and Eastern Europe and Western and South-Western Europe. A city with a population of 130.000, it hosts a famous international summer festival, it is a home to a university and many cultural sites (theatre, opera and ballet, festival centre and a concert agency) and has an extensive media image, many private radio and TV stations operate here beside the public radio and television. The biggest daily newspaper and the third weekly newspaper on the newspaper market in Slovenia are published in this city.

Since the independence of Slovenia in 1991, Maribor has changed from a centre of heavy industry into a city of tourism and culture. Near its centre there lies one of the largest and most beautiful city parks in Middle Europe. The mountain range of Pohorje is an oasis of winter and summer tourism. Maribor is a traditional organiser of the World Cup Competition in Alpine Skiing for Women – Golden Fox Cup, one of the oldest and most prestigious competitions of its kind in Europe. On the bank of the river Drava, which connects Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, is a house beside which grows one of the oldest vines in the world (officially listed in the Guinness Book of World Records) that still bears grapes from which precious wine is produced.

All these are the reasons for which we will be very happy if you pick Maribor and Slovenia for your and our annual conference in 2008. We leave the choice to you whether the conference will take place at the end of May 2006 as usual, or in the third week of June 2008 when the conference could be joined to the beginning of the traditional international summer festival in Maribor and the official beginning of summer at the holiday of St. John. We would, of course, coordinate the dates with other events that will take place at Slovenia’s chairmanship of EU.

I extend to you my sincerest greetings and wish you success with your work.

Anton Guzej
Director General
RTV Slovenia