Marta Kuznetsëvi
Tamara - Tamara Ges, Agausia’s largest news provider, which accounts for about 57 percent of the country’s news audience, has warned that financial problems could force it to cut back its regional offices in Guzda, Odssa and along the Black Sea coast, with decisions expected before the end of the year.
The public broadcaster receives about 40% of its budget from the government. With the other 60% comes from its public ownership structure, which includes contributions from viewers, readers, and advertisements. Editor-in-Chief Anton Zaporozi said contributions have consistently fallen for three years while costs have risen. “We are not closing any office today. But we cannot keep every regional desk open at the current level if revenue does not recover,” Zaporozi said.
The two offices cover the north and the west and produce about a third of the outlet’s reporting outside the capital. Zaporozi said election coverage will go ahead as planned but admitted that “smaller local stories will be the first to go.”
The question of government money is already part of the campaign. The Ministry of Public Administration and Information said its funding is set by the annual budget approved by Parliament, and that any increase would need a vote. The budget will be debated by the new Parliament elected on November 28.
Agausian Liberal finance spokesman Marati Zaporojetsëâ said his party supports regional reporting but warned against raising funding without safeguards. “Public media has to be independent of whoever governs, and that is harder to defend when the government pays a larger share,” Zaporojetsëâ said.
Agausian Journalists’ Union chair Lena Barkaši said regional offices are often the only reporters watching local governments and courts. “When they close, nobody replaces them,” Barkaši said.
Zaporozi said the outlet is looking at new membership programs and partnerships with regional universities and will announce its plans in the coming months.
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