Former CNN journalist from Britain Brent Sadler will be formally registered as director of N1 television from next week, but also co-director of Nova.rs and Danas portals, "Vremena" sources say. With him, Wouter van Houwelingen from the Netherlands, who performs the function of senior corporate representative of Adria News Network, will be appointed as a director in N1. This company was founded on February 19 – in the long process of changing management structures in the companies that own N1, Nova, Radar and Danas.
The decision to change the legal representative of N1 has already been published on the N1 portal, but it will be entered in the APR in a few days.
Igor Božić: How will he manage the newsroom without a position
The former director of N1 told "Vreme" that he was "informed by Brent Sadler" about the decision to delete him from APR.
"He sent me an email in which he informed me that they were going to do it," Božić told Vreme.
In that email, it was stated that he was being relieved of his duties, and that Sadler was being registered as a director.
"Today we had a meeting with Sadler. They came on TV and said that nothing will change editorially, that I will continue to lead the editorial office as before," continues Božić. The only question is how, when formally it no longer has any function.
"I can take his word for it, or not, but I will certainly protect the editorial policy of N1 as long as I can," says Božić.
Trade union "Nezavisnost": We are concerned about the dismissal of Igor Božić from the position of legal representative
Continuation of the implementation of the Lućić-Miller agreement?
It remains an open question what is the role of Igor Božić now, because according to the systematization of N1, he does not have the position of editor-in-chief.
As well as whether all this is a continuation of the agreement between the director of the United Group (UG) Sten Miller and the director of Telekom Serbia Vladimir Lučić, about the strategy to reduce the influence of broadcasters who report critically on the regime of Aleksandar Vučić within the United Media group. The Organized Crime and Corruption Research Project (OCCRP) released an audio recording of their phone conversation in August 2025.
In the meantime, Aleksandra Subotić was dismissed from the position of director of United Media. The Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime opened an investigation regarding the published conversation that ended up in public.
Correspondence to the register of representatives will be carried out in the daily newspaper Danas as well as in the regional N1 centers in Sarajevo and Zagreb, Vreme has learned.
The difference is that only in the case of N1 in Serbia, the previous director was completely deleted from the register.
Preparation for the final showdown: Don't trust Sadler, even when he comes in peace
Jovićević: Business supervision is being established
Mihail Jovićević, director of Nova.rs, on Wednesday. On April 1, it was announced that next to his name, Brent Sadler will stand as co-director. Sadler himself told him that, he says.
"Previously, the position of co-deputy was held by Srđan Ćirović, he left, so there was a vacancy," Jovićević told Vreme. "As an explanation, Sadler told me that he and the company needed some kind of supervision over the work. He also added that the decision has nothing to do with the editorial policy of the portal but with the corporate part of the work, that it is important to have cost control."
This decision brings uncertainty to Jovićević, especially when he found out that Božić was removed from the position of director.
Sadler: "Only financial supervision"
Brent Sadler did not answer the questions of "Vreme" to comment on these decisions, nor to explain how Igor Božić will lead the newsroom without a position. Although he stated earlier that he will not influence the editorial policy of N1, the question is how he will implement business decisions, which are often closely related to journalistic tasks, travel, salaries, bonuses...
"The introduction of a unified management framework within ANN also includes such administrative changes. They exclusively relate to corporate governance, legal representation and financial supervision. They do not affect the editorial structure, decision-making, work processes, or reporting lines," Sadler said in an official statement.
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