This master’s thesis examines the Slovenska Popevka Festival as an example of the broader transformation of television and public media in Slovenia. The festival is situated within the context of the transition from the era of linear television to a fragmented media environment. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the role of the Slovenska Popevka Festival on Televizija Slovenija and how it has changed over time, to identify the factors that contributed to the fe-stival’s cancellation, and to examine ways to preserve its legacy. The study addresses three re-search questions related to the festival’s role, the reasons for its cancellation, and the preserva-tion of its legacy. The empirical part is based on a qualitative research approach and semi-structured interviews with informants associated with the Slovenska Popevka Festival. The in-terviews were analyzed using thematic analysis, and the findings were compared with theore-tical frameworks. We conclude that the Slovenska Popevka Festival did not serve merely an en-tertainment function but was an important media event, a platform for the production and promotion of Slovenian popular music, and part of the public service mission. Its discontinua-tion was driven by a combination of audience fragmentation, changes in media consumption, the diminishing promotional role of the festival, production and financial demands, and insti-tutional decisions. Its legacy lives on through the music, the performers, new projects, and tele-vision and radio archives.
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