“Television beyond Cold War Blocks: the role of TV Koper-Capodistria in overcoming Upper Adriatic Border divisions” _TransborderTV_G.A:101180568

The TransborderTV project, a new research initiative funded by the European Union under the ERA Fellowships call (HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-TALENTS-02), aims to investigate the history and legacy of the bilingual television broadcaster TV Koper Capodistria (TV KC) during the Cold War. The project will involve Dr. Federico Tenca Montini as the researcher, Professor Borut Klabjan as the supervisor, and Professor Marta Verginella as the coordinator of the secondment at the University of Ljubljana.

TV KC, operating from the former socialist Yugoslavia, was a unique media outlet in that it broadcast in both Slovenian and Italian, primarily targeting Italian audiences. Its position as a socialist station reaching a capitalist country during the Cold War offers a fascinating case study in media, politics, and cultural exchange in the Upper Adriatic region.

The project will employ an eclectic methodology, beginning with the examination of archival materials from key institutions in both former Yugoslavia and Italy, such as the Archives of Yugoslavia, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Archives of Slovenia. Interviews will be conducted with former TV KC staff, followed by focus groups to gauge the long-term impact of the broadcaster’s content on Italian viewers.

The TransborderTV project aligns with the Open Borders initiative, an ERC-funded project hosted by ZRS Koper, in which Professor Klabjan serves as the principal investigator. This collaborative effort aims to enrich our understanding of media’s role in Cold War geopolitics and its lasting influence on cross-border communication in Europe.