Individual Owners

The owners of the most influential media outlets in North Macedonia are often individuals for whom the media business is a secondary venture. Some are foreign citizens, while majority of them are men. Out of 34 outlets mapped by the Media Ownership Monitor North Macedonia, only nine media are owned by women, mostly in the online media sector. Two television stations are family businesses: "Alsat M", owned by the Velija family, and "Klan Television", owned by the couple Aleksandar Frangaj and Alba Gina, both of whom are Albanian citizens and also own other media outlets in their home country.

Three other television stations have foreign owners. Peter Schatz, a Hungarian citizen, owns "Alfa" TV; Jürgen Meixner from Austria is the owner of "Television 24", and Kosovo's Aferdita Kelmendi is a majority owner of "TV 21". Serbian lawyer Vladimir Galjak has the largest stake in the ownership of the newspaper "Sloboden Pecat", while the online media outlets "Republika.mk" and "Kurir.mk" are owned by Agnes Adamik, a Hungarian citizen.

The main businesses of the owners of the most influential media outlets vary from oil and construction to agriculture and medicine. Often, these owners use their media to influence policies that affect their businesses.

In particular, Goran Ivanovski, the owner of TV "Sitel", is known for his involvement in mining, transportation and construction. Minco Jordanov, on the other hand, owns the newspaper "Nova Makedonija" while also having a range of businesses related to him or his family, spanning from owning a private hospital to doing business in agriculture. Finally, Andreja Josifovski, the owner of TV "Telma", is most recognized for his business in the oil sector.