April 27, 2006 10:12 AM

BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro-A popular Belgrade-based television station that authorities abruptly shut down this week over allegedly biased reporting launched a petition Thursday to contest the move.

Journalists and other staff at BKTV, Serbia's first private broadcaster, founded in 1994, began gathering signatures demanding the resignation of all members of the state Broadcasting Agency which on Wednesday sent police to the station's premises.

"The petition-signing will take place in all cities in Serbia," said BKTV's deputy editor, Miodrag Popov, adding that the station will defy the ordered 30-day suspension of broadcasting by trying to resume its regular news program later Thursday.

The pre-dawn police raid of BKTV's premises early Wednesday outraged many viewers as well as journalists' associations in the Balkan country. The station's transmitter was switched off and the authorities also ordered cable operators to discontinue BKTV's channel.

BKTV, however, managed to continue its satellite broadcast and could still be seen in parts of Serbia where a few local cable operators continued to offer BKTV's program in their networks.

Serbia's Broadcasting Agency said BKTV's license was withdrawn because of biased news coverage in favor of its founder, the controversial tycoon-entrepreneur Bogoljub Karic.

Karic fled the country earlier this year after a political confrontation with the government of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and after authorities accused him of fraud and corruption.

The Broadcasting Agency said BKTV violated media laws by "blatantly campaigning" for the Karic-founded Strength of Serbia Party, which challenged the ruling coalition.