The new challenges for the media within the “media-authorities-business” triangle and the forming of new journalism ethics and the institution of reputation in times of transformation were discussed during the media lunch “How to prevent the media from burning in the flames of monetization and government hugs?”
Dmytro Tuzov, Radio NV host and member of the Independent Media Council and Adrian Karmazyn, chief of the Ukrainian Service of the Voice of America (2005-2015), discussed issues relevant to the development of the modern media sphere.
The new challenges were discussed within the context of the work of the US (including public broadcasting) and Ukrainian media using the example of Media Holding NV.
It was said that authorities in any country have tried and are trying to “take under wing” the media and influence the work of newsrooms using funding as a lever of pressure to achieve personal goals.
Today, the question of newsrooms’ independence and building successful media businesses is viewed from a new perspective since there are fewer and fewer ads, with a considerable number of ad providers going to social networks. Therefore, the participants spoke about introducing new formats of work that would maintain the newsrooms’ financial independence as the main challenge today, no matter whether funding comes from the budget or a private owner.
Commercial channels are more influential, but public broadcasting, too, occupies an important place and can become a powerful media organization, noted Adrian Karmazyn.
The media expert used the example of the largest US non-commercial radio network, National Public Radio, which reaches an audience of around 60 million on various platforms weekly, of which 32 million are radio listeners. 35% of funding comes from business sponsors, one third from the stations within the network; the rest are reader and listener contributions.
Adrian Karmazyn noted that NPR managed to achieve such results due to working on its reputation.
In Ukraine, even despite all the problems, poorer audiences, a quality media outlet can make money. It might seem that there is no connection between reputation and money. It’s hard to compete with the media that don’t care about their reputation and make a lot of money. However, the recent news about the road accident involving an MP and its being removed by over 40 media outlets is proof that it’s not possible now to conceal information. The institution of reputation is taking shape, thanks to which it’s possible to receive money from those who value quality information, noted Dmytro Tuzov.
The participants also discussed that even though television is losing popularity, the audience and monetization of radio, as well as of printed magazines, remain stable. Based on the experience of Media Holding NV, the printed format is still profitable. Therefore, one of the challenges of developing a media business is to maintain a balance between the new and old formats.
The event was organized by Souspilnist Foundation with the support of the National Press Club and the Independent Media Council.
