Croatia: Interview with Lika Club, bringing the local to diaspora
Based on a recent study by the Centre of Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) that maps news deserts in Europe, the Local Media for Democracy (LM4D) project financially supports independent local media outlets operating in areas at risk of becoming news deserts. We talked to Ante Fumić, owner of Lika Club, about the opportunities from the development of the Lika App, which aims to provide relevant news, information, and content that directly serves the interests and concerns of the local community. By focusing on their specific needs, the app will enhance accessibility to regional media and foster a stronger sense of connection within the Lika region. Lika Club is the only politically independent media outlet in the region.
Can you give a bit of a background to Lika Club?
Ante: Lika Club is a Croatian regional news media that I started in 2014. The media is owned by my company Prilika Grupa. From the very beginning, we nurtured the independence and quality of information for our readers. Lika App is a mobile application that we developed in 2023 that enables us to provide our readers with better information.
How did you manage to launch it in such a short period of time? What made this app so successful?
Ante: I must admit that, at the very start of this project, we did not estimate the time period in which we could develop the app. So we had to dedicate practically all the time in our company only for this project in order to deliver to the LocalMedia4Democracy project. I am quite satisfied because we succeeded, and I can congratulate my entire team, especially my colleagues Tamara Hodak and Antonio Kezerić, and then everyone else. I know that it was hard for them to make such a project in such a short time, but everything is possible if the team is of high quality and harmonious. In this sense, I congratulate them, as well as LM4D, which enabled us to fully finance such a big job. Without them this would also not be possible and they are a key factor in our success.
Tell us about your partnership with Hrvatski Radio Otočac, how did you start working with them?
Ante: Our partnership with Croatian radio Otočac is of high quality. Given that it is the oldest and most listened-to local radio station in the Lika-Senj County, where Lika Club also operates, we already had certain contacts in the exchange of news. But it never came to the point where we would actually do something together, because they are a radio station and we are an online media. Now, for the first time, because of the Lika App, there is a chance for us to work together. We decided to talk, to offer them cooperation, they accepted it with open arms, and we are here today.
On the Lika App, you can listen to the 0-24h radio stream of Croatian Radio Otočac on the front page. On the other hand, they inform their listeners about this option three times a day, which is good for both their radio and our application. I think we are all satisfied. What we are currently working on is joint advertising offers to clients.
How does your business model support the use of this app?
Our sale of positions within the mobile application has just started and we are working on it along with all other things. I believe that the first results will come only in the second part of the year. We designed the sale of space within the application in such a way that it gives special positions and visibility to our advertisers, suitable for their campaigns. For example, sponsors can rent and be a partner of our category.
How do you train your journalists to use it and how do they use it for their work?
Ante: This application does not require special team training because it is managed through our Lika Club web portal within the interface. The portal and the application are connected by an API, and for this reason, journalists can manage its content very easily. The matter is as simple as possible, because that was also my instruction to the programmers, with which I wanted to explain that journalists are not technicians, they are journalists. They do text creation, not programming. The programmers understood this and created a quality application that journalists can easily manage.
How many requests have you received since launching the tool? Do you have any success stories that you can share?
Ante: We have slightly more than 2,000 users. That number is constantly increasing because we are also in large advertising systems such as Google Play and the App Store, which advertise us within their stores. What is interesting is that the Croatian diaspora started to follow us more actively, because the availability of the website in the whole world can sometimes be limited, so the application allows you to constantly read the news and listen to the radio, and it really is always available. We welcome every positive comment on the application, readers often tell us that we did a great job, and this is just an additional motivation for new steps towards better information in the region.
