What to read

Two thirds of Belarusian press are independent media

According to the Information Ministry of Belarus, there were 1,128 titles in Belarus, including newspapers, magazines, bulletins and journals as of June 1 2005. The number of state-owned printed media amounted to 333, or one third of the total volume, while the share of independent media made correspondingly two thirds.

As many as 971 titles have become defunct since 1996. Vladimir Matusevich, head of the printed media department of the Information Ministry of Belarus, said it is tough competition that ousts the title off the market watching unclaimed newspapers and magazines sink into oblivion.

To stay afloat and bring profit, a print should have personnel potential, financial resources and employ new marketing combinations. Earlier, the number of titles in Belarus was constantly on the rise, while now their number remains stable and the volume of newcomers and drop-outs coincide.

Recently, the Belarusian press has revealed a quality improvement tendency. Newspapers and magazines have started to pay greater attention to the content, quality of printing, size and regularity of issues. Belarus publishes 3 full-colour dailies, The SB-Belarus Today, Republic and Zvyazda (The Star).

Besides, regional prints are becoming full-colour as well. Growing purchasing capacity is viewed as one of the reasons. Belarusians are ready to pay more for better quality.

The demand for independent advertising and news prints is accelerating as is their circulation.

Theme newspapers and magazines arouse a steady interest. For example, Gaspadynya (Housewife) magazine dedicated to housekeeping issues up to 100,000 copies per month.

The publications of cable TV operators, who offer advertising and news along with a detailed TV guide, have gained momentum.

Many non-state prints issue supplements to the main publishing product. For instance, the owners of The Gastronom newspaper dedicated to foodstuffs have launched The Men’s Club, The Mobile Overview about mobile communications and The Udachnaya Gazeta (The Lucky Newspaper) for dacha lovers. Broadsheets are always popular and their extensive readership testifies to it.

In regional centres, local independent titles offer tangible competition to state-run social and political publications: The Evening Brest and The Evening Grodno enjoy great popularity.

Vladimir Matusevich stressed, the state provides certain financial support to state-run publications, but the lion’s share of the resources are earned by social-political newspapers and magazines themselves through advertising and subscription fees. The state invests far bigger funds into literary magazines and cultural titles.

High readerships of state-run prints prove the trust that Belarusians place in them. For example, the number of copies of the most popular state-owned newspaper The SB-Belarus Today totals over 500,000, while the circulation of the most famous opposition title The People’s Will is ten times lower.

The Obozrevatel (The Observer), a non-state social and political weekly, takes a neutral stand and is doing its best to attract the reader. Despite huge resources that the owners pour into the development and promotion of the newspaper, it is not an easy animal to survive in the cutthroat competition environment.

Russian newspapers, legally acting as Belarusian and enjoying support of regional investors, are serious players on the domestic market. The Komsomolskaya Pravda in Belarus, Arguments and Facts, Trud 7 are the most prominent representatives. For example, the circulation of The Komsomolskaya Pravda on Thursdays reaches 400,000 copies. The Belarusian public takes keen interest takes in the events happening in the neighbouring Russia, in the Russian culture and show-business.

On the whole, quality papers have drawn bigger audiences over the last decade, Vladimir Matusevich believes.

Vladislav Shevchenko