Ukraine of peace - silence or speech?

At the beginning of January, the Ukrainian mass media circulated the sad news that foreign editorial team of the TV channel UATV stops working. And the saddest thing about this news is that only at this moment millions of Ukrainians learned that we had news at all. To what extent it is necessary at all, for what, how things are with the neighbors - let's figure it out.

Zrada or Peremoga

Like most of our family's news channels, the disconnection of UATV's international broadcast is perceived as extremely ambiguous. On the one hand, it obvious stupidity, because for four years of work editors managed to achieve large quantitative achievements. Contracts with 400 TV service providers, broadcasting in English, Russian, Arabic, Crimean Tatar, Ukrainian languages, own offices and audiences. This a resource that cannot be wasted.

On the other hand, the quality of the content created by this team was mediocre. Now UATV continues to operate, albeit without international broadcasting - live broadcasts are available on the site. Cuts get on YouTube. Therefore, you can assess the quality of this product yourself and estimate how many people in the world might be interested in such a channel.

I'm not an expert in television, but I'm good at YouTube, I'm developing my own technology channel. Therefore, I can at least appreciate it a pool of Internet channels UATV. In my opinion, everything is very sad with him: even with such budgets and state support Russian-language YouTube did not make a single video millionaire and gained less than a hundred thousand subscribers in four years. In recent months, views have fallen and are measured not even by thousands, but by tens and hundreds. With the channels of other languages ​​in UATV, it's even worse — viewers are not interested in watching that. Something in this conservatory had to be changed.

The price of the question can also be perceived differently. UATV cost the state 0.06% of the annual budget. In 2019, it amounted to 600 million hryvnias, and expenses were often cut. It seems like a lot of money, wow, but... To maintain a TV studio with this amount, to pay for the regular release of content, to establish relations with cable and satellite companies, somehow they are trying to get onto the Internet... Here, perhaps, it is necessary not to cut bones, but to increase funding . But with any money, if the budget is already bursting with expenses?

What will happen next

Formally, the news will not go anywhere, the format will simply change. Instead of a broad-based "trishka kaftan" UATV a Russian-language channel will appear, focused on citizens living in the occupied territories. The idea, in principle, is not bad (let's pretend that we believe in the efficiency of this enterprise). We really need to work with the Crimeans and residents of the LDNR, besides, the Russian-language pro-Ukrainian channel will be watched both in Ukraine and in the world - at least via the Internet. If the budgets are preserved, but there will be no need to cover the whole world, there will be enough money for good interesting programs. That is, qualitatively and tactically we will even win a little.

But it is very confusing narrowing the scope and information agenda of the country. We are trying to fight for our citizens, this is commendable. However, at the same time, we surrender the post-Soviet emigrant diasporas in other countries, that is, we lose any foreign policy leverage.

And it is still unclear why create such a channel if there is already one.Donechchyna TV", to which it would be possible to throw a little money and correct the editorial policy. Not to mention what if not accelerated Ukrainianization of television, any Ukrainian channel without any additional attachments would work against LDNR bandits.

Our second front

As usually happens in our country, Against the backdrop of the systemic failures of the Ukrainian state, private initiatives bloom with lush bloom. Fortunately, the Internet provided active Ukrainians with a low entry threshold and made it possible to monetize with the help of YouTube. All these years, private Internet projects have painstakingly shouldered the burden of information warfare and information policy.

A humorous, largely positive, news agenda of Ukraine is created "Television Toronto". A direct war with Kremlin propaganda is being waged by the channel "VATA TV" and, in part, "Cotton Shaw". Far from always, what these guys do plays into the strategic interests of Ukraine, there is a strong sense of "spontaneity". However, they at least work, and work effectively. All these channels have better statistics than the state-owned UATV, they do not depend on the change in the political weather in Kyiv and are strongly motivated to continue. We will specifically clarify that everything these channels are watched not only in Ukraine, so they can really be considered as a tool for promoting our agenda abroad.

Text internet media we will not consider in this material. And so it is clear that sites flourished without the help of the state, on private investment and on the enthusiasm of the creators. Where would we be now without these sites that gave peace Ukrainian point of view, is also understandable.

In general, everything is as usual. First, second, and third, Ukraine is people. The tenth place is the clumsy and ridiculous state mechanism. This is our weakness, but also our strength. Again, how to look.

However, one thing is indisputable — having good positions on the Internet, we are losing the battle for TV. And telek still has weight and the ability to influence minds.

Russian Federation

When we talk about the international Russian mass media, we first of all mean the machinations Russia Today. RT is watched by more than 70 million people around the world, the structure of the holding includes four separate TV channels aimed at broadcasting in some leading countries of the world. English, Arabic, Spanish, French languages, operational news, quality content and expansion to the Internet through the popular YouTube millionaire.

But this is far from the only instrument for the expansion of Russian ideas into the world. Popular Russian TV channels have their own international projects: "Russia 24", "RTR Planet", "First Channel. The World Wide Web". This is all together creates a stereo effect in the viewer's head, imitating the objective presentation of information — signature Kremlin style. On one channel they say that Ukrainians are fascists and eat children. On the other, they refute: not fascists, but Nazis, and children are not eaten, but sacrificed. On the third, they say that they are not fascists or Nazis, but reptiloids in disguise, and they have no children at all. This is how the "objective look at things" of the international citizen is born.

Moldova and Georgia

How interesting are countries such as Moldova and Georgia. They are in the same boat as Ukraine, because they also lost territories as a result of the conflict with Russia. In theory, they are no less interested in Ukraine in bringing their point of view to the world and not letting Russian war crimes be swept under the rug.

However, in practice we see that Moldova does not attract such large-scale media projects. Even in the domestic market, a serious part of the broadcast is made up of the rebroadcast of Russian and Romanian programs.

Georgia launched a project similar to UATV, but was also unable to develop it and closed it after the change of power in 2012. A familiar story. However, it should be noted that the website of the First Channel of Georgian Television is available in seven languages, including English. There are also Russian-language TV channels, which is also a good tool for promoting the Georgian agenda in other post-Soviet countries.

Belarus and Kazakhstan

Surprisingly (no), the best friends of Russia, the Republic of Belarus and Kazakhstan, understand the prospects of friendship very well. Therefore, they keep their innovations in working condition and even actively develop them. Kazakhstan broadcasts in 118 countries in Kazakh, Russian, Uzbek, Kyrgyz and English plus online broadcast. They show news, cultural programs, local TV series with subtitles. In general, this is plus or minus what UATV did, but at a higher quality level.

TV channelBelarus-24» works in Russia, Ukraine, the CIS countries, the Baltic States, the Caucasus, Eastern and Western Europe, the USA, and Canada. There is an online broadcast on the official website (although only in Russian, only some materials are translated into English). The level of content is very high-quality, many interesting plots, beautiful pictures and editing, infographics. Here it is also worth noting that "Belarus-24" is developing, including at the peak of the Polish TV channel "Belsat", which broadcasts to Belarus and promotes the European interpretation of Belarusian events. Competition inevitably leads to an increase in quality.

My face when the broadcasting project really works

Therefore, if tomorrow Russia decides to talk about Belarusian fascism or "shake up" the north of Kazakhstan, both countries will promptly tell the world their version of events, and it is not yet known whose mouthpiece will be more effective. Money is not spared for this, real work is being done on the channels, not imitation.

Why so, it is not difficult to understand. People learn from our mistakes, that's all. Why Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova do not want to study - that's where the mystery lies.

Who needs it

Ideally, all people in the world should watch your country's news TV channel. If foreign viewers worry about the events of your country more than their own, this is a very powerful resource. But this is an unattainable ideal and, in general, it is enough that in "peacetime" such channels are watched by international journalists, bloggers, industry experts and their diasporas in other countries. These people should have access to the Ukrainian view of events in the country and in the world, because their materials, analytical notes and monetary transfers affect the economy and politics of Ukraine. If there is no access to the Ukrainian interpretation of events, experts and journalists will look at Russia Today, which also has enough interesting materials about Ukraine. And then they will write their own, too... Interesting.

It is good if Ukraine does not forget about this aspect of international relations. Because the economy on such things can turn into big losses.

What Ukraine could do (but will not do)

The problem of underfunding UATV, its low-quality content and management looks very strange. How is it, there is no money for propaganda? This is the question of survival of the country! If there is no money in the state budget, that is understandable, really our oligarchs have no desire to invest in basic protection of their own capital? In the case of the destruction of Ukraine, their capital and influence will be completely nullified, and they themselves will turn from subjects of politics into food. Well, they would get together, drop five hundred million each — and get a shameless channel, no worse than the Belarusian one. Kolomoisky, by the way, tried to create such a channel alone, but did not succeed.

Of course, none of our "boys" will get together and start dropping off. Ukrainian elites prefer to spend their time in strife and strife, endlessly redistributing the remnants of Soviet industry and infrastructure among themselves. It's much more interesting "in the moment". And in general, it is a characteristic Ukrainian trait, which Russian historians will tell the world about on Russian international television to the accompaniment of our bewildered silence.

Denis Skorbylin