TV Forum and ForumInfo.rs portal operate under the umbrella of Women’s Forum Prijepolje (WFP), and as such, strive to provide the community of Prijepolje and its vicinity with timely, relevant, and objective news. TV Forum / ForumInfo.rs were formed to support the mission of WFP in establishing gender equality and improving the position of women in the environment in which they operate.
The business idea is based on the Business Plan developed during the Media for All project in 2021, with a clear goal: to grow reach and engagement – both with advertisers and audiences. It was an ambitious plan with a two-pronged approach.
On one side, the focus was on business development – building capacity, strengthening relationships with potential advertisers, and understanding their needs through qualitative interviews. This led to the creation of a tailored sales strategy, supporting materials, and a mentoring process aimed at increasing the number of businesses advertising with TV Forum and ForumInfo.rs for the long term.
On the other hand, the emphasis was on audience engagement, exploring new communication channels, creating social media-friendly content formats, and telling stories in a more direct and personal manner. The aim was to reach a wider audience, spark interaction, and strengthen the connection between the media and its community.
Shifting Mindsets and Building Confidence
From the very start, the mentorship aimed to encourage experimentation – trying new approaches, learning what works, and turning successes into everyday practice. The team consisted of dedicated, hardworking, and passionate individuals, deeply committed to their work and its impact on the community.
However, as a media outlet that grew out of a CSO, still primarily TV-first and with limited capacity, they struggled to adapt to the digital shift, embrace new formats, and evolve their storytelling. At the same time, the economic devastation in their community and the steady loss of advertising revenue to other channels left them discouraged, unsure if it was even possible to win advertisers back. That outlook began to change as each of the six email campaigns generated at least one “Yes” from advertisers, giving the team a confidence boost.
This shift became most visible toward the project’s end, when ideas such as TV show sponsorships, promotional videos, and jingles emerged – initiatives the team might not have considered before. The same confidence carried over into digital storytelling, where feedback, new skills, and capacity-building workshops empowered them to create content better suited for online audiences. While limited internal capacity remains a challenge, the foundation for continued growth is now firmly in place.
Business Development and Relationship Building
Before the project, TV Forum’s business development was mainly reactive, relying on word of mouth or incoming requests. The first step toward change was 10 in-person interviews with current and potential advertisers, which revealed their needs and helped shape a monthly offering to re-engage existing clients and attract new ones.
To support this, the team developed a comprehensive set of sales materials and procedures, including a branded media kit, a monthly sponsorship deck template, updated price lists, and a detailed sales playbook and calendar for both the project period and 2025. The goal was to create a system that was easy to maintain, adapt, and hand over to new team members.
Each month, themed campaigns were sent to relevant advertisers, tailored either to community events – such as back-to-school promotions – or bundled media services designed to encourage sales. Campaign decks were followed up with calls, marking a proactive shift in outreach.
The results were precise: the team began actively promoting existing services, such as video filming and editing, while also introducing new ones, including sponsorships for the popular show Moja životna priča (My Life Story).
By the end of the project, they had increased the number of advertisers by 66% (10 long-term + 47 short-term), boosted monthly advertising revenues by 4%, and strengthened relationships with local businesses.
Expanding Audience Reach and Engagement
Before the mentorship, TV Forum had already conducted valuable audience research, marking its 15th anniversary with a survey that confirmed high trust in its work – but also a demand for more diverse content, citizen participation, and field reporting.
In response, the team launched three initiatives:
- “Here, among us” – a 20-part short video series spotlighting personal stories from vulnerable groups, which reached over 1.5 million views on social media.
- 8 community callouts – engaging 1,038 people and resulting in 24 stories, including two that directly influenced local decision-makers on tourism and waste management.
- Viber channel launch – providing timely updates and news for rural and older audiences, quickly reaching 360 subscribers.
The Viber channel also drove a 36% increase in YouTube viewership and boosted monthly YouTube income by 42%, proving the value of meeting audiences where they are.
TV Forum implemented a series of strategic innovations to boost both revenue and community impact. On the business side, they developed a structured sales strategy supported by comprehensive collateral, including a media kit, sponsorship decks, and clear outreach procedures, executing six targeted sales campaigns and a special New Year/Christmas offer for loyal advertisers.
Content-wise, they launched the Here, among us video series, sharing 20 powerful stories from vulnerable groups that garnered 1.5 million social media views, and conducted eight community callouts that produced 24 stories—two of which spurred concrete action from local decision-makers. They also experimented with new formats, creating three YouTube Shorts, and expanded distribution through a Viber channel that quickly attracted 360 subscribers and drove a 36% increase in YouTube viewership. Additionally, they introduced TV show sponsorship as a new revenue stream, further diversifying their business model.
