You're reading: Alasania vows to turn state-run channel into public broadcaster

Zurab Alasania, Ukraine's well-known journalist, is in a hurry now. He's been trying to transform state-controlled First National TV channel into a public broadcaster since heading the National Television Company in March 2014.

The state’s presence has a long history in Ukraine’s media.
Broadcasting was used as a tool of government and financed from the budget for
a while. The Verkhovna Rada passed changes in the public broadcasting law on March 19 after more than 10 years of an attempt to implement the philosophy of the
public service of the press in Ukraine.

Alasania says it is a long process to launch Suspilne
TV, which translates as “public TV.” He just returned from Denmark, where he
visited public DR1 and DR2 public broadcaster channels. They will send five
experts to Kyiv to help create multimedia newsroom and then Ukraine’s
journalists will go to Denmark to understand how TV works there. Alasania told the Kyiv Post that Denmark will address European donors to raise approximately two million euros for Kyiv’s newsroom.

Ukraine’s media community is divided over the idea of
public broadcasting. Some are inspired while others say that a new outlet should be started from scratch, not on the basis of the archaic First
Channel.

Member of
Ukraine’s parliament
Mykola Tomenko proposed an alternative draft law. He actively criticized the public
broadcasting law
and called for the creation of two separate entities: TV and
radio. According to Tomenko’s draft law, local authority may establish public
broadcasting on the basis of regional state broadcasting companies, but
Verkhovna Rada rejected it.

Yulia Kutsenko began to work as an anchor to the First
Channel on Sept. 1, when the broadcaster launched international news program.
Kutsenko says
a culture shock and
adaptation lasted for a couple of months.

The space is huge, the corridors are empty. You dont know who is behind the doors and it turns out that everything is organized and used ineffectively,” Kutsenko told Kyiv Post during an interview.

Formal presentation of public broadcasting will be on
April 7 in Kyiv, but Alasania says people should wait at least six months to see
Suspilne. The logo of the First Channel will switch to the logo of Suspilne.
National Television Company will also show new website and tell about new TV
programs, which will appear on air soon.

Public broadcasting launches on the basis of
government-run broadcasters in Kyiv and oblasts. State will support it
financially for four years, giving 0.2 percent of its budget and after this
transition term people will pay for it. According to National Television
Company of Ukraine, 7,519 people are working on 27 TV and radio stations throughout
Ukraine that should be reformed.

Kutsenko says that she saw the oldest 70 years old
cameraman in her life and he is still working on the channel. “It’s a Soviet
problem, where people worked with zero efficiency. It would be humanly to fire
most of the staff and to hire new personnel who will create more interesting
content,” she adds.

Diana Dutsyk, CEO of the non-governmental organization
Telekritika and media expert, says public broadcasting firstly
has to develop a model of the newsroom and its work. So far, this is all just in the process and then decide with other issues. Under the new model all people who worked in the old system will not be able to realize themselves because of the lack of professionalism”, she said.

At the same time, Dutsyk says Suspilne can win over the audience by creating good quality content. In order to raise the ratings of the First National channel standards of programs should be increased.

“It is a process and it does not happen in one day. The question is what movies they will show; if there will be cultural and educational projects. Many issues associated not only with the news. It is important to do the research audience and ask people what they want to watch”, Dutsyk said.