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Report

How Ukrainian Regional Media is Surviving in the Coronacrisis

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered a serious blow to the world economy. Various countries forecast a GDP contraction of between 5% and 10%. Fields of activities that directly depend on interpersonal contact are the most vulnerable.

Ukraine introduced a strict quarantine after confirming its first cases. It has maintained it for several months, although has been softening the lockdown gradually. Transport communications between cities and regions have been limited or suspended; public transportation has often been suspended, public events have been cancelled, education institutions have closed, along with most retail shops, cafés, and restaurants. This has helped to limit expansion of the disease, but struck a huge blow to the economy.

The drastic decrease in business revenues and person-to-person contacts has also affected media outlets, which depend on advertising budgets, investments, and distribution infrastructure. Ukrainian regional news services, often facing financial difficulties, have been especially vulnerable in the face of the pandemics and lockdown.

Internews Ukraine has tried to understand how the corona crisis has influenced the Ukrainian regional media - both the challenges it has brought and how regional media have responded.

We recently published a big overview of the Ukrainian regional media landscape, our Ukrainian Regional Media Guide. In this vast publication, we analyzed key trends and described the most popular regional media outlets in each Ukrainian region, as well as key players behind them. The study covers the whole territory of Ukraine, including the temporarily occupied territories.

However, changes in the regional media are constantly taking place. In order to reflect them, we are publishing regular thematic overviews.

In the first of these overviews, we are analyzing how regional media are managing during the quarantine, and how the corona crisis has affected them. We asked 39 journalists, editors, and media managers from various Ukrainian regions to share their experiences and reflections with us. You can read the results of this overview below.

"The pandemic has dealt a huge blow to the regional media" Respondent from Odesa oblast

1. KEY PROBLEMS: SUSPENSION OF WORK, DISMISSAL OF WORKERS

Every 4th respondent whom we asked said that he/she knows facts of closure or suspension of work of a media in their region.

The Redaktsia media project was shut down in Odesa Oblast; the online Hromadske TV: Cherkasy put its website "on pause". 

Regional newspapers had to postpone publishing in print. For example, so did the newspaper Vremia in Luhansk Oblast, Nova kopijka and Tyzhden' in Kyiv Oblast, Fermer Prydniprovia in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The same applies to the newspapers Nasha Druzhkivka from Donetsk Oblast, Halytskyi Korespondent and Halychyna from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.

Some newspapers that have continued publishing in print have tried to adapt to the new realities: they cut the circulation, narrowed down the volume of the newspaper or published it less often. For example, Persha Miska Hazeta from Kropyvnytskyi is being printed less regularly; the circulation for the latter "was cut back by a third" after it went back to print. The newspaper Zamkova Hora from Kyiv Oblast also reduced its circulation.

Supermarkets and distribution through Ukrposhta (Ukrainian national post office) have been  the key distribution channels of the regional print media. Press stands have been practically shut down during the quarantine.

"Up to 70% of local media's circulation is through subscription" Respondent from Luhansk oblast

Due to quarantine, many regional editorial offices have shifted temporarily to remote work. This was done, for example, at the TV channels UA: Rivne and UA: Bukovyna, whose employees tested positive for COVID-19. UA: Bukovyna has since returned to work

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast TV channel Pershyy Miskyy: Kryvyi Rih also began working remotely "due to the epidemiological situation." By mid-May, the channel had to suspend all live broadcasts. At the same time, during the quarantine, the TV channel changed ownership several times – from the former member of parliament Konstiantyn Usov to AGROSVIT-KR LLC, which is engaged in grain cultivation.

More than 30% of our respondents said that they were aware of cases of staff reductions in newsrooms. In particular, the staff of the Chernivetskyy Promin TV channel in Bukovyna, the city website Mariupol 0629.com.ua in Donetsk Oblast, media platform "Informatsiina Vinnychchyna", Lviv newsroom for Lux FM radio station were cut. Staff reductions also took place in Volyn, Odesa, Poltava, Kherson, Khmelnytsky, Ternopil and Chernihiv Oblasts

Respondents noted that sometimes people have been laid off only on paper, but in fact, they continue to work and receive informal wages. On the other hand, journalists from Ivano-Frankivsk and Odesa Oblasts noticed isolated cases of unofficial furlough and salary reductions (up to 50-70%). Employees of some newsrooms were also forced to look for side work for the period of quarantine.

"Since the topic is extremely painful, our colleagues learn about it only from rumors and from posts on social media like "Goodbye, editorial team, I was cut!" Respondent from Poltava oblast

2. FINANCING: DRASTIC DECREASES IN ADVERTISING; SEARCHING FOR NEW FINANCIAL RESOURCES

30 out of 39 respondents say that the media in their regions has suffered serious financial losses during the pandemic. A majority of them have seen a radical decrease in advertising, as well as the annulment or delay of partner contracts as key reasons for these losses. It is also related to contracts with authorities: funds initially allocated to cover their own activities in media were often re-directed to the fight against the coronavirus. Media owners also cut their investments, according to testimonies from our respondents from Volynska, Luhanska, Poltavska and Chernivetska Oblasts.

"Advertising revenues have fallen by 70% on our TV channel. But now the advertising is gradually coming back" Respondent from Ivano-Frankivsk oblast

Our respondents also say that regional media in their majority do not have significant experience in finding new financial resources. Despite this, some outlets have started optimizing work processes and budgets. Examples of this include Google advertising, fundraising and grants for content creation, institutional development, and monetization.

"My advertising manager complains that the current situation is worse than the 2008 crisis: I regularly call our partners, but nobody wants to place ads" Respondent from Poltava oblast

There have also been changes in the state funding of media. For example, the Ukrainian government unblocked funding of ATR TV channel, the key Crimean Tatar channel in Ukraine on May 6th. This has solved the channel's financial difficulties which arose in early 2020, when the channel almost had to stop broadcasting because of a lack of financial support from Ukraine's state budget.

"It turns out  that media outlets' budgets can be easily cut by 20%" Respondent from Poltava oblast

In addition to financial difficulties, the channel has faced security problems in Crimea. On March 11th, Russian "security forces" in occupied Crimea made house-checks of the channel's anchorman Seytumer Seytumerov and of a number of citizen journalists of the Crimean Solidarity initiative. On May 6th the pressure continued: the prosecutor's office of the Russian occupation authorities indicted ATR owner Lenur Islamov on several charges,  including "public calls to violate Russia's territorial integrity."

3. CONTENT: HUMAN STORIES AND EDUCATION

During the quarantine, important changes have taken place in content production the thematic focus of local media. 46% of interviewed journalists and media managers said there was a lack of information to report. However, almost every respondent reported that since the beginning of quarantine, coverage of topics related to COVID-19 has completely or partially compensated for the lack of traditional newsworthy events. During the quarantine, audiences have been most interested in morbidity rates, the situation in hospitals, volunteer help, and national high school exams.

Since distance learning was introduced, many regional TV channels have begun broadcasting video lessons. This has not been limited to the local branches of Suspilne, Ukraine's public broadcaster. The TV channel Tsentralnyi (Central) in Poltava and the TV channel Kyiv also filmed video lessons in cooperation with their local education departments and teachers. Schoolchildren in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbass and Crimea were also able to watch these educational programs on the Dom TV channel.

At the same time, respondents also noted that the rapid growth of audience interest in coronavirus-related topics was short-lived. In order to diversify content, some editorial teams focused on stories about people and storytelling. For instance, a series of documentaries called Za Okruzhnoyu (Outside the Ring Road) appeared on UA: Kharkiv talking about the lives of people in different districts of Kharkiv Oblast during quarantine. Dom aired a video blog from journalist Oleksiy Matsuka about life in the occupied territories of Donbas.

"There was so much information about coronavirus that people got tired of it faster than they did from the war" Respondent from Chernihiv oblast

During the quarantine, dozens of regional TV channels acted in solidarity with each other by sharing their content on Media Change Ukraine. This platform was especially helpful for media outlets which had stopped producing their own content during the quarantine. In May, for instance, the UA: Ternopil suspended its Fainyi Ranok (Superb Morning) show. The show was revived in the format of edited videos later, but the editorial office stopped operations again in June.

"From the second half of March to the end of May, our TV channel stopped producing all shows except informational ones. However, we still broadcast news and do evening broadcasts live every day" Respondent from Ivano-Frankivsk oblast

4. INTEREST: DEMAND FOR LOCAL INFORMATION

Most respondents (66%) say that audience interest in regional media has grown during the quarantine. During the stricter lockdown phase, people mostly stayed at home and therefore had more time to consume media. Regional outlets have been the main source of local information about the epidemic . Hence, regional media audiences grew.

"People have become interested in very practical things: when will hair salons open, when will commuter trains run again, which documents need to be prepared for a child to go to kindergarten etc" Respondent from Poltava oblast

Media experts told us that the uneasy situation in the regions has motivated local journalists to more thoroughly check the information they share. For instance, in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast several media jointly launched the Inform-Shcheplennya (Inform-Vaccine) project aimed at delivering reliable information about the COVID-19 pandemic.

"People have started trusting us more, as we have been providing them with local information. People are also able to call us or write to us easily. We have received positive feedback" Respondent from Ivano-Frankivsk oblast

5. ADAPTATION: SEARCHING FOR OPPORTUNITIES IN CRISIS

The COVID-19 pandemic and the quarantine have also proven to be an opportunity for journalists to improve their work. Our respondents told us about newly-acquired experience and resilience .

"We have optimized our content, cut our expenditures, as well as changed KPIs for our editorial team" Respondent from Donetsk oblast

These months have shown that in most cases, editorial staff can work remotely. Working from home has shown to be a "very successful" and "effective" way through the situation. It has helped the staff of some outlets to save money and time, particularly when it comes to commuting. The use of digital platforms for work and communication contributed to this, as well.

"The pandemic has provided a boost for creativity and innovation for our own survival protocols in a crisis" Respondent from Zakarpattya oblast

Working from home has helped journalists to start sharing their work with colleagues more actively, as well as contributed to greater media transparency, primarily internal (corporate) transparency. Editors started to share newspaper layouts, outreach indexes and financial issues with their entire staff. As a result, editorial teams are actively involved in the analysis of their own content.

Issues related to employees' safety and health have seen some adaptation, too. Some respondents report that editorial offices are constantly being disinfected and ventilated, and that hygiene products and special equipment pads are being purchased. Outlets with big editorial teams have divided their staff into two groups, which then take turns working from the office and from home.

"We started using Trello and Google Docs, as well as organizing weekly online meetings on Zoom. After these and other online tools were introduced, our team started working more effectively" Respondent from Kherson oblast

A large share of interviewed journalists attended professional online training and conferences. However, some of them felt that online communication could not fully replace the in-person form.

6. SOCIAL NETWORKS: THE ALTERNATIVE TO TRADITIONAL MEDIA

For the first time last year, social media became the "main" source for information for Ukrainians.

The pandemic has heightened this trend, according to respondents of our survey. During the quarantine the population has become more active on social media, while media outlets have opted to create their own social media accounts. Groups on Facebook and Viber have developed, as well. Telegram-channels – some specifically media-focused or anonymous, but mainly political ones – have been gaining popularity in some oblasts, in particular in Kharkiv, Volyn and Chernivtsi Oblasts.

Some media outlets and regional press clubs, in particular those in Lviv and Kharkiv, are actively streaming on different online platforms. In some oblasts, local bloggers have become very active in order to boost their subscriber counts. 

However, the respondents also report the spread of false and controversial information in regional online communities and among bloggers. "Coronavirus-related fakes" were identified by, among others, journalists of Volyn, Kherson, Lviv, Poltava, Chernivtsi, Donetsk, Rivne and Kyiv Oblasts. The furious reaction of the residents of Novi Sanzhary to the arrival of Ukrainians evacuated from China was triggered by a local blogger's post, experts from Poltava Oblast say. In Vinnytsia, some websites disseminated an Instagram video which showed people in protective suits allegedly disinfecting the apartment of a woman who had been hospitalized because of COVID-19. 

"Many groups focused on positive news, which was much missed during strict quarantine restrictions" Respondent from Kherson oblast

7. POLITICS: AWAITING LOCAL ELECTIONS

According to some respondents, the COVID-19 pandemic has also become a cause for "information conflicts" in the regions. Local politicians and public officials are among the most important participants in such processes. At the end of May, there was a scandal in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast concerning a regional laboratory which processes tests for COVID-19. The regional council fired its director allegedly for distorting test results. Instead, the fired man himself argued that the real reason for his dismissal was the desire of the regional authorities to hide some information about the COVID-19 pandemics.

Respondents also point out the problems with the communication of coronavirus information  among regional authorities. A media manager from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast noted "uncoordinated actions between the city and regional authorities: the figures they announced at daily briefings sometimes differed."*A survey respondent from Lviv Oblast drew attention to the incomplete information about the pandemic provided by Lviv authorities, and a respondent from Volyn Oblast* pointed at lack of efficiency in providing data on the epidemiological situation in the region by official institutions.

Respondents from other regions, including Chernihiv, Ternopil, and Poltava Oblasts, noted that local politicians used the topic of the pandemic for self-promotion. They, rather than relevant officials or doctors, often acted as "major" newsmakers and publicly provided material support to hospitals. On the other hand, a respondent from Kherson Oblast assures that during the "strict" quarantine there were almost no information "intrusions" due to the ban on mayors to comment on COVID-19 in the media.  Only the head of Kherson Regional State Administration, his deputies, and the chief doctor were permitted to do this.

In general, during the quarantine, Ukraine's regional media have been one of the main intermediaries in communication between local authorities and the public. After a partial "summer lull," respondents predict, this practice will intensify during this year's local elections. They note that for many regional media, their main source of funding will shift towards paid cooperation with individual local politicians and authorities. This involves formal contracts between campaigns and newsrooms dictating their coverage of politicians' activity, as well covert political agitation.

Both the popular media (which have suffered from financial losses due to the quarantine) and little-known outlets (which are active only during the election process) will be partly engaged in this process.

Media resources with the potential to serve as electoral agitprop are already being founded. For example, the newspaper Vilna Dumka, funded by the Fakel political party, has appeared in Kyiv Oblast, according to our respondent. In Chernihiv Oblast, a press center was created on the basis of the newspaper Desnyanskaya Pravda. To "congratulate [their] long-term partners with a new stage of creative activity," the opening ceremony was attended by the mayor of Chernihiv, as well as the chairman of the Chernihiv Regional Council and a member of this council. All together, they became members of the Ridnyy Dim political party, the creation of which was covered at great length in the newspaper that founded the press center. Respondents from Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad and Luhansk Oblasts also reported similar occurrences in their regions.

"Several new junk media outlets and Facebook groups that are already preparing for the local election have appeared in our region" Respondent from Vinnytsia oblast

CONCLUSION: REGIONAL OUTLETS NEED SUPPORT

We hope our analysis makes it clear that regional media in Ukraine needs support. They were going through rough times before the coronavirus outbreak, but now their condition has become especially dire.

Nevertheless, many media outlets have shown an ability to adapt to the challenging times and have demonstrated their commitment to journalistic standards. They have proved their importance during turbulent, trying times, as when the situation changes rapidly, the people more often pay attention to the regional media.

Hence, our conclusion is quite simple -- despite the hard times, there are a lot of positive and encouraging trends. Regional media are not just in need of support, but deserving of it, as well.

GET THIS REPORT IN PDF

We appreciate the assistance in preparing this report of Ukrainian regional journalists, editors, and media managers, namely: Iryna Avramenko, Iryna Breza, Andriy Vavilov, Olena Haraguts, Oleg Golovatenko, Orest Hryniuk, Olga Hryshyn-Hryshchuk, Anastasia Dziubak, Maria Domanska, Artem Yevmynets, Tamara Koval, Ilona Korotitsyna, Volodymyr Kosiuk, Volodymyr Lermontov, Liudmyla Makey, Mariana Metelska, Tetyana Metyk, Anna Murlykina, Roman Nazarenko, Serhiy Nikitenko, Natalia Pakhaychuk, Oleksiy Poberezhny, Victoria Talashkevych, Dmytro Tishchenko, Olena Tretyak, Tetyana Fedorkova, Yevhen Fialko, Andriy Filipskyi, Inga Fliazhnikova, Valenatyna Khrabust, Tetiana Tsyrulnyk, Olga Sharuta, Maria Shevchuk, Dmytro Sheremeta, Leonid Shtekel, Tetyana Shcherbatyuk, Yulia Yuzkiv.

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