THE controversial new director-general of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), Ivan Borislavov, suffered a heart attack on Sunday.

He had it shortly after telephoning the radio's Nedelia 150 live political talk show - hosted by the leader of journalists protesting his appointment - to comment, his daughter later explained.

Since then, the Bulgarian Media Coalition has sent a fax to the National Radio and Television Council (NCRT) - the body which appointed Borislavov - asking it to reveal its reasons for selecting him and information on the other candidates considered.

Shortly after Borislavov was admitted to Sofia's Pirogov hospital, the deputy chairman of the Union of Bulgarian Writers Ango Boyanov ended his hunger strike. Boyanov was striking in support of Borislavov's appointment and in response to one BNR station director, Georgi Vassilski, who was on a hunger strike against Borislavov's appointment. Later Vassilski also ended his hunger strike, but said he would resume it if Borislavov returned to work as director-general when he was discharged from Pirogov.

On Monday Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov met with Alexander Brazitsov, a member of the radio's governing board, and interim director-general, saying that he was eager to hear different viewpoints on the conflict.

"The director-general Borislavov cannot be liked by everybody," Stoyanov had told journalists the previous Wednesday. "I am waiting to see what his first steps as director-general will be, and if these steps contradict my vision and the NCRT's vision about what the national radio should be, I will voice my opinion categorically."

Speaking on the private Darik radio on Tuesday, Brazitsov said: "It is right to investigate whether BNR's leading journalists worked for the secret services," adding that this would be the board's "next step". Brazitsov stated that the protests against Borislavov most probably had economic roots; and said that any dissatisfied journalists could always resign. In response to his words Silvia Velikova, leader of the protesters, insisted that Brazitsov should produce a list with the names of those journalists who had worked for the secret services, and those who were protesting because of economic interests.

A large number of the radio's staff met in front of the radio building on Tuesday - day 15 of their protest. The pressure group members wielded various banner slogans, including: "Foreign Factor", "Agent-Manipulator", "Secret Service" and "Terrorist."

Protesting BNR journalists were due to stage a march yesterday from the National Assembly building to the radio building. The governing board of BNR called on the journalists to call off their protest. According to the board, a big part of BNR, including the unions, does not support them.