Milovan Ilić (; 5 November 1938 – 10 February 2005), better known under his nickname Minimaks ( sr-Cyrl, Минимакс), was a Serbian radio and television host.
Early life
He was born on 5 November 1938 in the village of
Lipnica near
Kragujevac
Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Serbia, and is situated on ...
,
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
.
He completed primary and secondary school in Kragujevac, and studied law in Belgrade. He started in the satirical magazine ''Jež'', and in 1960 he moved to
Radio Belgrade.
Career
He became known as the leader of the radio program ''Minimaks''.
This program was broadcast on Radio Belgrade in the seventies.
"Minimaks" was one of the first programmes in which there was a lot of popular music and its motto was "minimum talk maximum music". He is one of the first unconventional journalists in
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...
who inserted jokes, witty remarks and jingles between the standard radio host notices.
With shows ''Sutra je petak'' (It's Friday Tomorrow) and ''Tačno u podne'' (Exactly at noon), better known as ''Tup-Tup'', which he hosted for 22 years, he achieved great success.
After cutting of his radio show, he continued career on the
Radio Television of Serbia
Radio Television of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Радио-телевизија Србије, sr-Lat, Radio-televizija Srbije, italics=yes; abbr. RTS/PTC) is Serbia's public broadcaster. It broadcasts and produces news, drama, and sports programming thro ...
, where he led the program ''Od glave do pete'' (From head to toe).
However, the show was taken off air in the 1990. He moved to
RTV Politika
RTV Politika ( sr, РТВ Политика) was a major Serbian TV station, owned by Politika AD, that was on the air from June 28, 1990 until December 31, 2010.
It was founded on June 28, 1990 and it was a majority-owned subsidiary of the afor ...
where he hosted show ''Minimaksovizija''.
He later led shows ''Minimaksovizija'', ''Maksovizija'', ''Sunday with Minimaks'' and ''Fonto'' at
TV Pink
Pink is a privately owned, national radio station and TV channel in Serbia. Pink is the leading commercial station in the Serbian television broadcast market. Pink's parent company is the Belgrade-based Pink International Company
Pink Internat ...
and
TV Palma
RTV Palma ( sr, РТВ Палма, ''palm tree'') was a privately owned Serbian television station based in Belgrade.
History
TV Palma was owned by Palma Ltd, a company set up in October 1991 by Belgrade-based lawyer Miodrag Miki Vujović. On 1 ...
. Throughout his time on radio and television he promoted numerous up-and-coming folk singers, most notably
Lepa Brena
Fahreta Živojinović (; ; born 20 October 1960), known by her stage name Lepa Brena (), is a folk singer, actress, and businesswoman. She is the best-selling female recording artist from the former Yugoslavia.
Lepa Brena grew up in Brčko, Bosni ...
, even giving her the stage name.
Through his programs passed a large number of Serbian singers, musicians, actors, politicians and other public figures. For each guest Minimaks was thoroughly prepared using comprehensive documentation and news. He is the author of several books
aphorisms and songs, as well as many columns in various newspapers. With his wife Biljana he had a daughter Hannah and son Vladimir, and from the first marriage, son Igor.
He worked with and knew many Balkan singers, including being manager to
Silvana Armenulić
Silvana Bajraktarević (born Zilha Bajraktarević; 18 February 1939 – 10 October 1976), known professionally as Silvana Armenulić (), was a Bosnian singer-songwriter and actress and one of the most prominent commercial folk music and traditi ...
, until her death in a car crash in 1976.
Ksenija Pajčin
Ksenija Pajčin (, 3 December 1977 – 16 March 2010) was a Serbian singer, dancer and model popular in Serbia and the other former Yugoslav republics. Sometimes referred to as Xenia or Ksenia, she was known for her sometimes sexually appealing i ...
worked as his assistant while trying to make a name for herself in the 1990s.
Death
At the end of 2004, Minimaks received a
liver transplant at the clinic of the
University of Padova
The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from B ...
, where he died on 10 February 2005 at age 66.
References
External links
InterviewsInterviews
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minimaks
1938 births
2005 deaths
People from Kragujevac
Yugoslav journalists
Serbian television personalities
Serbian journalists
Liver transplant recipients
20th-century journalists