BBC in Serbian Says Goodbye

The Serbian-language section of the BBC World Service ended on Friday, leaving some listeners feeling bereft.

"'Svet u 2" was Serbia's only window on the world and it made my days make sense," lamented 57-year-old Irena Lacmanovic, grieved to imagine that her favourite radio show was gone forever.

Lacmanovic is one among tens of thousands of fans of "Svet u 2", which was much liked in Serbia for its objectivity, timeliness and diverse topics. The show provided listeners with views on various issues from both sides, London and Belgrade.

The move to close the Serbian service is part of broader moves by the BBC World Service to cut costs. The Macedonian, Albanian and Serbian-language services have all been axed.

The BBC Yugoslav service began in 1939 at the start of World War II. Later it split into Serbian and Croatian. The Croatian service was closed in 2005.

The farewell show hosted special guests. They included a former editor of BBC Yugoslav news, David Ben Wedgwood, the wife of the writer Borislav Pekic, Ljiljana Pekic, and the Serbian ambassador to the Vatican, Vladeta Jankovic.