State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting Prepares Program to Support Local Media - Nalyvaiko
During a meeting held in Odesa, Oleg Nalyvaiko, the head of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting, announced plans to launch a program aimed at supporting local printed media. This initiative comes as the committee regains its role in supporting the printed press, a function that was under the Ministry of Culture until 2019.
In a significant development for local journalism, Oleg Nalyvaiko, the head of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting, announced plans to initiate a program designed to support local printed media during a recent meeting in Odesa. This initiative is made possible by the restoration of the committee's authority over the printed press, which had been managed by the Ministry of Culture prior to 2019.
Nalyvaiko emphasized that the program will include budgetary funding, with a particular focus on frontline regions. He noted that Odesa has a strong chance of becoming one of the leading beneficiaries of this support. "With government backing, we are preparing a program to support local printed media with budgetary financing. Frontline regions are prioritized, but Odesa should undoubtedly be one of the leaders in receiving this support," Nalyvaiko stated.
Additionally, the head of the committee highlighted the importance of seeking grants to bolster media support. According to him, the support program is not limited to printed publications but also encompasses other forms of media.
Ivan Melnyk, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Chornomorski Novyny," shared his views on the necessity of such support for newspapers. He pointed out that there are only seven newspapers available for subscription in the Odesa region, and their numbers may further decline by next year. "Newspapers must survive and remain, as they are also a testament to this time," Melnyk stressed, underlining the importance of the support program for preserving printed publications.
Gennadiy Chabanov, the editor-in-chief of the media outlets "Na Pensiyi" and "Odeske Zhyttya," also expressed his thoughts on the financial difficulties faced by newspapers. "A newspaper today is an expensive item, and most newspaper readers are elderly people. In our subscriptions, Ukrposhta takes up to 60% every year. Currently, it costs 6-7 hryvnias to deliver one copy. That is a significant amount. We could provide subsidies through Ukrposhta, meaning we could compensate for the delivery cost. Then we could set a lower price for the newspaper, allowing more people to subscribe," Chabanov noted.
He also emphasized the lack of institutional support for editorial offices, particularly regarding journalists' salaries, rent, printing, and paper costs. "We need large grant projects, for which we will certainly report. Then everything will work," Chabanov is convinced.
Regarding the relevance of funding printed newspapers in the internet age, Nalyvaiko remarked, "All calculations indicating that printed press is read by up to 5% of people suggest that we must support both the printed press and its readers. For example, there was a situation when we approximately understood that the military would liberate Izyum in a few days, and we realized how critical the situation would be there after de-occupation. Neither television nor the internet could provide people with information. At that time, we published a newspaper in Izyum that was laid out in Lviv. The military reported that the most effective source of information at that time was indeed the newspaper."
During the meeting, media professionals also discussed the experiences of publishing newspapers in other countries. In addition to financial support for the press, issues regarding exit permits for journalism workers, strategic communications, and publishers were discussed. Nalyvaiko noted that exit permits are now processed upon the committee's submission, and the issue of establishing the criticality sphere and reserving media workers will be resolved shortly.
It is worth noting that in recent years, the number of regional, district, and city printed publications in Ukraine has significantly decreased. In 2020, there were 2,469 such publications in Ukraine, but by 2025, their number is expected to drop to less than a thousand. These figures underscore the importance of supporting local media to preserve information diversity in the country.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Oleg Nalyvaiko presented four sets of personal protective equipment to Odesa journalists for use in hazardous conditions, demonstrating the state's concern for the safety of media workers amid contemporary challenges.
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