Ukraine/Media/President vs. Press

NY Times: Ukrainian Media Tests Freedom Boundaries

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) "Ukrainian media are testing the boundaries of their newly won freedoms with hard-hitting exposes on the allegedly extravagant lifestyle of President Viktor Yushchenko's son, sparking a feud with the president over what is fair game in this former Soviet republic."

"Yushchenko claims the press went too far in attacking his teenage son, while journalists are now questioning the president's commitment to freedom of the press."

''' This is a test of what kind of relationship we are going to have in Ukraine between the government and the press, and it is difficult to say how it is going to develop,' '' said Dmytro Krikun, development director at Internews, a nonprofit group that aids the formation of a free press.

Russia/Weeklies

RFE/RL: Motherland to take over nationalist weekly?

"The Motherland party's Duma faction leader, Dmitrii Rogozin, told journalists on 27 July
that his party is in talks with the national-patriotic weekly "Zavtra," published by Aleksandr Prokhanov, about "an agreement on cooperation for the next five years," polit.ru and other media reported."

"Rogozin said he doesn't want to take control of "Zavtra," but "to create a pool of independent patriotic media, the epicenter of which will be 'Zavtra.'" An accord with "Zavtra" will allow the
newspaper to preserve its independence and Motherland to regulate the publication of its materials in the weekly, he added."

"A flagship of the national-patriotic media with a strong pro-imperial and anti-Western stance, "Zavtra" was created by Prokhanov in October 1993, after the weekly "Den" was banned for supporting the Russian parliament disbanded by President Boris Yeltsin."

Ukraine/Media/Piracy

MosNews.com:Ukraine Gets Tough on Media Piracy

"Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has signed a decree ordering changes in a number of legal policies that will intensify punishments for media piracy, Russia’s Interfax news agency reports."

East European Media/Overview

The Global Politician: East European Media

"The media outlets in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe are easily interchangeable. The media in the countries in transition is taxonomically not dissimilar to its brethren in the West. It, too, can be divided to five categories of ownership and agenda. What sets it apart, though, is its lack of (even feigned) professionalism, its venality and its tainted ulterior motives. I wrote about it elsewhere, in ' The Rip van Winkle Institutions' ":

"' And then there is the media - the waste basket of post communist societies, the cesspool of influence peddling and calumny. Journalists are easily bought and sold and their price is ever decreasing. They work in mouthpieces of business interests masquerading as newspapers or electronic media. They receive their instructions - to lie, to falsify, to ignore, to emphasize, to suppress, to extort, to inform, to collaborate with the authorities - from their Editor in Chief. They trade news for advertising. Some of them are involved in all manner of criminal activities, others are simply unethical in the extreme. They all have pacts with Mammon. People do not believe a word these contortionists of language and torturers of meaning write or say. It is by comparing these tampered and biased sources that people reach their own conclusions within their private medium.' "

Russia/Periodical Press Markets

Guild of Press Publisher: Russian Periodical Press Market 2005

"The outlook for the print media market in Russia is extremely promising. It has been developing dynamically both in terms of quantity and quality in recent years."

See more: PDF (49 pages)

Serbia and
Montenegro/Newspapers

RFE/RL: Shake-up at oldest Serbian daily newspaper

"On 26 July, a new board of directors was named for the Belgrade daily "Politika," which is half-owned by Germany's WAZ group and half by Politika AD, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported."

"The appointees include writer Matija Beckovic, film director Emir Kusturica, and Aleksandar Simic, who is an adviser to Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica. The new board then sacked Darko Ribnikar as general director of the Politika Newspaper and Magazine Company, replacing him with businessman Srdjan Janicijevic, who has been general manager of Coca Cola and is Beckovic's brother-in-law."

"Ribnikar told RFE/RL that he was sacked for political reasons because he and Milan Misic, who is ' Politika's' responsible editor, have become a nuisance to the government."

"' Politika' was founded in 1904 and has been one of the most respected institutions in the Serbian political landscape. Even during communist times, it was considered Belgrade's most important paper and maintained an extensive network of foreign correspondents."

"Under former Serbian and Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, it was turned into one of several mouthpieces of his regime. Following Milosevic's ouster in October 2000, ' Politika' drew close to Kostunica."

Russia/Books

The St. Petersburgs Time: New Harry Potter Book Hits RuNet

"The official Russian translation of ' Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,' the latest installment in the popular series, will not be released until December, but impatient fans needed only to go online to start reading the book two days after its release in the West last week."

"Russian readers were able to devour an unauthorized translation of the 672-page book’s first chapter for free on certain web sites as early as July 18. Three more chapters followed the next day on one of the sites."

See more

Listen also: Global journalist Radio - The Worldwide Fashination with Harry Potter

Ukraine/Press vs. president

BBC: Yushchenko angers Ukrainian press

"More than 100 Ukrainian journalists have written to President Viktor Yushchenko demanding he apologise for labelling a reporter a 'hitman'. It suggests the honeymoon between President Yushchenko and the press may be over, says BBC world media correspondent Sebastian Usher."

See more

Serbia and Montenegro/Broadcasting

IFEX:

The following is an ANEM statement:

"The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) protests strongly over draft amendments to the Broadcast Act which the Government of Serbia has put into parliamentary procedure."

"This is the second raft of amendments introduced by the government since the Broadcast Act was adopted three years ago. Once again they delay implementation of the act and resolution of the accumulated problems in the broadcast sector. On the first occasion, the amendments were introduced to resolve the problem of Broadcast Council members who had been appointed under irregular procedures. These amendments dissolved the entire Broadcast Council including those members whose appointment was not disputed."

See more

Russia/Patriotic education/Businessmen

Ria Novosti: Russian Society, mass media and business to train patriots

"In the program for 2006-2010 the state has commissioned patriotic products from the mass media, art and culture. Patriotic topics should be expanded. Examples should be found not only in Russians' heroic deeds in war and peacetime alike, but also in their achievements in science, engineering, and art, Grebenyuk said. People should be reminded of Russia's achievements in different spheres."

"So far, businessmen have taken almost no part in patriotic education and have not displayed much patriotism themselves."

"' Yet this is a creative and pro-active part of society,' Grebenyuk said. ' But it has so happened that heads of large companies and firms are people who have no experience in patriotic education.' "

"How can patriotic ideas be 'translated' in this case?"

"Businessmen should be prepared to take part in patriotic education and attracted to financing it. For example, tax benefits could be introduced for sponsors, Grebenyuk said."

Russia/Satellite TV/Religious-themed channel

RFL/RL Newsline

"A ' public Orthodox television channel' called Spas (Savior) will begin broadcasting on 28 July as part of the NTV-Plus basic satellite package, gazeta.ru reported on 25 July. Approximately 40 percent of the programming will have a Russian Orthodox theme, according to the
network's press service."

"Several prominent figures will host shows on Spas: Duma Foreign Relations Committee Deputy Chairwoman Natalya Narochnitskaya (Motherland); Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad
Kirill, who heads external relations for the Russian Orthodox Church's Moscow Patriarchate; and Eurasia Party leader Aleksandr Dugin, an anti-American geopolitics theorist."

"Meanwhile, RBK reported on 25 July that Culture and Mass Communications Minister Aleksandr Sokolov recently called for a new state television network that would emphasize Orthodox programming. Sokolov suggested that the network would be part of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Company (VGTRK) and could be launched in 2007."

"So far no funds have been allocated for the project. According to RBK, sources at VGTRK are
unaware of any plans for such a network. RTR, which is part of VGTRK, already broadcasts some shows with Orthodox themes, as well as a program aimed at Muslim viewers."

Czech Republic & Romania/Mobile-phone customer growth


Bloomberg: Vodafone Client Growth Quickens to 6.6% on East Europe Purchase

"Vodafone Group Plc's mobile-phone customer growth accelerated to 6.6 percent in the most recent quarter after the company added 6 million subscribers by buying units in the Czech Republic and Romania."

Ukraine/Media/Background

IPI Global Journalist Magazine: Media Take on Color in Orange Ukraine

"The first three months of the ´Orange power´ have proved that the new government and media are cooperating. The government represents democratic examples, doesn’t react to criticism with censorship letters and doesn’t limit the work of the media. The media in turn report the events in good balance. The broadcasting companies try to increase the number of discussion programs and television channels and invite the representatives of the new government as well as opposition leaders to appear on their programs."

"Ukrainian journalists say they don’t want the censorship pressure, different kinds of threats and, especially, deaths of journalists to be a constant threat again. Oksana Denysova, correspondent for a news program in the National Radio Company of Ukraine comments: ' I felt the total freedom working for a state medium just three days after the revolution. There is no direct pressure on the journalists, but our managers don’t welcome the criticism of the new government. They work to make sure our assumptions of the Orange power are favorable.' "

"Developing independent media is a complicated task, and Ukrainian journalists try to be optimistic, though no one knows for sure what the results of Yushchenko’s presidency will be. Volodymyr Mostovy, editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper Weekly Mirror, says, ' …the journalists should look critically on the activity of the new government.' "

Russia/Media criticism on Western media/The case of the new corruption report

Pravda: Western mass media get into the mess with Russian corruption

"We are used to the fact that Western media outlets may frequently disregard the rules of elementary journalistic ethics, portraying the poor state of things in Russia. There were no doubts that a new report from Georgy Satarov's Indem Foundation "About the increase of corruption over four years" would become the central subject of discussion in foreign press. This is exactly what happened, in a classic form: the truth of the figures was not called into question at all, in spite of the fact that many Russian experts pointed out the inadequacy of numbers in the research."

"However, obvious discrepancies and the unanimous opinion of the Russian expert community did not confuse the Western press. The Independent, The Guardian and Financial Times synchronously published their "horrible Russian corruption" stories. "Massive scale of corruption in Russia revealed" (The Independent); "Cost of bribes soars as Russia's millionaire bureaucratsrake in profits" (The Guardian); "Bribery in Russia up tenfold to $316bn in four years" (Financial Times)."

"On the one hand, it has all become rather boring. Any negative information from Russia is presented in the Western society as the ultimate truth. Western mass media beat Soviet television at this point: Soviet news reports about events in the Western community were filled with messages about natural disasters, poverty and unemployment."

"Traditions of the Western press and its standards are often pictured as the model of journalism, which implies the many-sided coverage of any problem. Where does their celebrated objectivism go when they report about Russia? Don't they have their own specialists on Russia? Or maybe they do not have a calculator to calculate Russian macroeconomic indexes and compare them with results of Indem's report?"

Russia/Press on Russia

Ria Novosti: The CIS and Baltic Press on Russia


Estonia:

"The press sees the inclusion of the issue of the Russian-Estonian border treaty in the agenda of the EU foreign ministers' meeting as a small diplomatic victory for Estonia. However, ahead of the meeting the media were cautious in their forecasts about the European Union's willingness to support Estonia. 'We fear minor disagreements among EU member states during the discussion, of which Russia may take advantage.' " (Eesti Paevaleht, July 18.)

Latvia

"Negative coverage in the Latvian press focused mainly on the Kremlin's attempts to bar former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov from the struggle for the presidency by launching a criminal investigation.'The Kasyanov case is developing following the scenario of the prosecution of former Yukos chief Mikhail Khodorkovsky.' " (Dienas Bizness, July 13.)

Lithuania

"Ciiting a source in Central Asia, the newspaper has published an article that forecasts the total breakup of the Commonwealth of Independent States at the next summit of CIS heads of state in Kazan on August 26. A Eurasian union involving Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus will be formed in its place. ' According to some information, the leaders of these countries intend to discuss plans to create common borders, political and economic spaces, and to adopt a single currency.' " (Litovskaya Narodnaya Gazeta, July 14.)

Ukraine

"The press believes that there are political implications in the Russian-Ukrainian gas conflict. ' Tking advantage of the gas scandal, Russia is trying to force Ukraine into concessions on some inter-state problems. This is first of all joint management of the country's gas mains.' " (Galitskiye Kontrakty, July 7.)

East Europe/Business Opportunities/Overview

Tmcnet: Romania: The 'India' Of Europe?

"Romania is still climbing into the modern world. After the dramatic fall of the country’s Communist regime in 1989, the country slipped into a recession that lasted until the mid- to late-1990s, at which time it began to embark on a series of reforms and stabilization programs."

"In 2000, Romania, with her population of 22.3 million people, threw her hat into the ring for membership in the European Union (EU). That membership is expected to be fully achieved in 2007. Currently, the country is experiencing economic stability, high growth and low unemployment. It’s a democratic republic whose capital, Bucharest, is home to 2.3 million people, or about 10 percent of the population."

"And it’s caught the call center industry’s eye."

"The Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary will be popular with companies looking for higher-end customer care for both English-speaking and German-speaking customers (these countries’ economies are somewhat ahead of that of Romania)."

"Romania and Bulgaria will increasingly gain business for more routine customer care, with Romania handling Italian- and French-speaking clients (recall that the Romanian language is a Romance language and therefore kindred to French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian), while Bulgaria will draw companies serving customers in the UK and Germany."

"Additionally, Croatia and Slovenia are thought to be well suited to accept business in Italian and German-speaking customer care, and the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) are well-placed in terms of geography and language for taking customer care calls from Scandinavian customers."

Russia/Internet

The Moscow Times: Study: Internet Providers to Reap 50% More in '05

"The market for Internet service providers in Russia is set to grow by roughly 50 percent to $1.5 billion by the end of 2005, with the number of users estimated to reach 9.8 million, according to a recent study by J'son & Partners consulting group."

"Of Russia's 143 million residents, around 7.6 million people currently use the Internet at least once per week, which is 30 percent more than one year ago, the report said."

"Growth in user figures is being driven by increased access to the web in the regions, the consultancy said. Growth rates of new users in the cities is starting to slow, it said."

"´It's not only about income growth,´" said Boris Ovchinnikov, an Internet consultant at J'son and the author of the report. "´Many factors are at play: The number of computers is on the rise, and it has become much easier to get Internet access."

"Expansion in higher education and more white-collar jobs are also contributing factors in increasing usage, the study said."

"In the first quarter of the year, Internet providers generated $350 million, a 55 percent increase over the same period last year, the study said."

Serbia and Montenegro/Removal of an editor-in-chief

IFEX: Editor-in-chief of local weekly replaced by Valjevo municipal assembly appointee

"The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation, a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute, is concerned about the recent removal of an editor-in-chief in Valjevo, Serbia."

"According to information before SEEMO, the new municipal assembly of the town of Valjevo replaced Olga Petrovic, editor-in-chief and managing director of the local municipal weekly, Napred, with Jovan Bugarski, a member of the Serbian Socialist Party."

"SEEMO is also informed that Napred journalists, who have been on strike since 11 July in protest of Petrovic's replacement, were not allowed to enter the premises of the weekly."

Slovenia/Tv-lähetyksistä poliittista vääntöä

Media Network Weblog: Slovenia to hold a referendum on public TV, radio

"Slovenia will hold a referendum on September 25 on a new law that critics say would put national radio and television services firmly under government control, parliament decided on Thursday."

"´The law inexcusably increases political control over managing RTV Slovenia,´" said a statement of 31 opposition members, from the centre-left Liberal Democratic Party and the former communist Social Democrats, who called for the referendum."

Puola/Äärioikeistolainen lehti syyttäjän tutkinnassa

Expatica: Poles investigate far-right paper praising nazis

"WARSAW - Polish prosecutors have found illegal words of praise for Nazis in a newspaper published by Germany's far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) but printed in Poland, Polish Radio (PR) reported Wednesday."

Yritysesittely: IDG

About IDG International Data Group (IDG) is the world's leading technology media, research, and event company. A privately-held company, IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers including Bio-IT World, CIO, CSO, Computerworld, GamePro, InfoWorld, Network World, and PC World. The company features the largest network of technology-specific Web sites with more than 400 around the world. IDG is also a leading producer of more than 170 computer-related events worldwide including LinuxWorld Conference & Expo(R), Macworld Conference & Expo(R), DEMO(R), and IDC Directions. IDC provides global market research and advice through offices in 50 countries. Company information is available at http://www.idg.com.

IDG Publications in East Europe:

Business World Czech Republic (Czech Republic)
CFO (Poland)
Chief Information Officer Magazine (Russia)
CIO (Poland)
CIO Bulgaria (Bulgaria)
CMO (Poland)
Computers + Programs/ PC World (Ukraine)
Computerworld Bulgaria (Bulgaria)
Computerworld Czech Republic (Czech Republic)
Computerworld Polska (Poland)
ComputerWorld Romania (Romania)
Computerworld Russia (Russia)
Computerworld Szamitastechnika (Hungary)
Computerworld Top 100 (Bulgaria)
Computerworld Ukraine (Ukraine)
CSO (Poland)
CXO (Poland)
Digit (Poland)
Digital World Bulgaria (Bulgaria)
DigitArt (Hungary)
e-pasaule (Latvia)
GameStar (Hungary)
GameStar (Czech Republic)
GameStar (Poland)
Kompiuterija PC World (Lithuania)
Mir PK (Russia)
Network World Bulgaria (Bulgaria)
NetworkWorld Romania (Romania)
NetWorld (Poland)
PC World (Czech Republic)
PC World Bulgaria (Bulgaria)
PC World Hungary (Hungary)
PC World Komputer (Poland)
PC World Romania (Romania)
PC World Security (Czech Republic)
PC World / Arvutimagasin (Estonia)
Sety (Network World) (Russia)
ZOOM (Poland)

Venäjä/Toimittajamurha

The Washington Times: The murder of American journalist

"A year ago, the crusading American journalist Paul Klebnikov was murdered outside his office in Moscow, shot dead in a premeditated killing. The questions of who murdered him and why remain disputed, and show how far Russia remains from guaranteeing liberties for prominent foreign reporters, to say nothing of its own citizens."

Venäjä/Korruptio-raportti

RFE/RL: Argumenti i Fakti publishes report on corruption

"In fluential weekly publishes report on corruption in 2005. The INDEM Foundation headed by Georgii Satarov says in its new study
"Corruption-2005" that the level of corruption among Russian
officials and business world in the last five years has increased
more than tenfold, ´Argumenty i fakty,´ No. 28, reported."

"If five years ago the size of the average bribe an official took from a
businessmen did not exceed $10,000, today it has grown to $135,000.
According to the report, while ordinary people spent up to $3 billion
a year on lower-level bribes in education and health care, the amount
of bribes businessmen pay to officials has reached $300 billion."

"In rating sectors by corruption, first place goes to the traffic police,
followed by the education system, the judiciary, offices responsible
for residence permits, and draft offices."

"Corruption is not only affecting small and medium-sized business but even big business,
Satarov said. President Putin's plan to double gross domestic product
in five years is unlikely to be realized as long as the volume of
business corruption is double the state budget, Satarov, who is a
member of the opposition Committee-2008, noted. "

Tshekki/Aikakauslehdet

"´A unique Sunday newspaper,´" reads the billboard promoting the Czech media's newborn baby: the Western-style Sunday paper Nedelni svet (The Sunday World).

"The first issue of Nedelni svet launched April 18 amid the hubbub of the Ice Hockey World Championship with 500,000 copies distributed nationwide free of charge. Unlike Czech weekly news publications that analyze social and political events of the past week, Editor-in-Chief Ondrej Neumann says Nedelni svet is a ´source of information about Saturday events and provides reading material for the whole family.´"

"The paper consists of four sections. The first offers domestic and international news and editorials. The second is aimed at male readers keen on sports and cars. The third part targets female readers and provides coverage of travel, society, fashion and cooking, including tips on things to do on a Sunday. The final section focuses on culture and analytical pieces."

"In the long run, Nedelni svet aims to resemble the Western Sunday press in terms of setting the information agenda for the following week. ´That is the path we would like to follow,´ Neumann says."

"The paper's staff published their first exclusive May 9, a report on Agriculture Minister Jaroslav Palas' state car, an Audi, allegedly exceeding the speed limit. Media outlets throughout the country subsequently picked up the story."

Read more

Tshekki/Aikakauslehdet

"Swiss real-estate magnate Sebastian Pawlowski last week added the weekly magazine Mladý svět, one of the oldest Czech titles, to his growing portfolio of publications."

"But the head of the Mediacop publishing house said he has not yet decided on the future of the magazine. ´We have no immediate plan for the trademark, but we will be working on some concept for its re-launch in the future,´ Pawlowski said in an e-mail to CBW."

"Pawlowski added that he only bought the trademark and the publishing rights of Mladý svět, and that he did not take over any employees or assets of the company that formerly published the magazine.

“´The main reason [why we bought the magazine] was that Mladý svět is a brand with a great tradition in the Czech Republic and its brand recognition is extremely high,´ Pawlowski said. None of the parties involved would disclose the price of the deal."

Source

Tshekki/Itä-Euroopan Media-sektorin kärjessä

Czech Business Weekly: Media mistakes may just be growing pains

"In many respects, the Czech Republic is very advanced regarding developments in the media sector. Because it was one of the first to try its hand at a free press, the country was also often the first to make some serious media mistakes in the past 15 years."

"It would be useful if the Czech experience served as a caution to other post-communist countries. What seems more likely, however, is that many of these mistakes will be repeated. Perhaps every country must undergo such crises on its own before it can establish a free and fair media that acts in the service of the public interest."

Valko-Venäjä/Sananvapaus

The Moscow Times: Lukashenko Visits in Hope of Closer Ties

"Sergei Karaganov, the head of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policies, said many Russians had been falsely accused of minor economic crimes and imprisoned in Belarus. He said there was no free news media, and that foreign journalists were being expelled."

Itä-Eurooppa/PC-markkinat

IDC: As Prices Tumble Revenue Surges in a Central and Eastern European PC Market That is Hot for Laptops

"The PC market in Central and Eastern Europe expanded a healthy 27.2% in shipments to 10.28 million units in 2004. According to a new study by IDC, revenue jumped by 32.4% to more than $9 billion even as prices for desktops and laptops fell."

"The revenue surge is largely attributable to the sharp 87.5% rise in portable shipments across the region. Although growth will vary from country to country, IDC expects it to remain strong, reaching 22.6% in shipments this year and 18.3% in 2006. Revenue growth will outpace shipments this year, hitting 20%, and then slow to 14.7% in 2006."

"As the country with the largest population, Russia was the largest single country market, constituting just under half of the region's PC shipments in 2004. Poland was the second largest market with 13.0% of volume, and Ukraine the third largest with 8.3%."

"Russia was also one of the fastest growing markets, which reflects the general trend of markets being more dynamic further east."

"´Countries like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia are starting to show signs of saturation, with corporate purchases mainly replacements for older machines,´" said Darian Bird, senior analyst, IDC CEMA.

"´But new purchases still account for the bulk of the market in places like Romania and Bulgaria, where economic growth and EU-accession talks have been spurring IT investment.´"

Venäjä/Uusi kampanja isänmaallisuuden puolesta

BBC: The Russia government has approved a plan to make people more patriotic

"The $17m programme will urge youths to mark military victories, and will fund the re-introduction of military-style games in schools. There will also be healthy lessons in the curious subject of "correct reproductive behaviour" - Kremlin-speak for patriotic sex education. Boosting patriotism is one of President Vladimir Putin's priorities but it is unclear if the move will achieve that."

Venäjä/Monet venäläiset yhtiöt listautuneet Lontoon pörssiin

FT: Russia’s IPO rush

"As an internet portal, Rambler provides access to news and has its own television service, which according to Ms Gofman ´stays out of politics´. But in a country where the freedom of electronic media has already been squeezed by the state, there is a risk that internet content will become a target for the Kremlin hardliners."

Itä-Eurooppa/Itä-Euroopan digi-tv-markkinat

Informamedia.com: Eastern european television is full of promise

"A new research report from Informa Telecoms & Media shows that central and eastern Europe is to experience a major move towards digital TV. According to the ninth edition of Informa's Eastern European TV report, 22.5 million of the region's homes will receive digital signals by end-2010 - more than five times the 2004 figure."

Digital TV households (000)

	2004	2005	2010
Czech Rep.	90	97	707
Hungary	140	182	988
Poland	1,085	1,268	4,228
Romania	2	68	1,320
Russia	1,091	1,444	8,445
Rest of Region	1,828	2,188	6,763
Total	4,236	5,247	22,450

"Digital penetration will exceed 15% of the region's TV households by 2010. Digital cable is on the verge of widespread rollout in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland and cable subscriptions will have 26% penetration by 2010, with satellite and digital terrestrial at 3.2% and 2.5% respectively. By 2010 IPTV will be present in 0.9% of eastern European TV households."

Digital penetration of TV households in 2010 (%)

	2004	2005	2010
Czech Rep.	2.4%	2.5%	17.9%
Hungary	3.6%	4.7%	24.8%
Poland	8.6%	10.1%	33.0%
Romania	0.0%	0.9%	17.4%
Russia	2.1%	2.7%	15.9%
Total	3.0%	3.7%	15.4%

Source: Informa Telecoms & Media

Ukraina/Radio "Vapaus" aloittaa taas lähetyksensä

Media Network Weblog:
RFE/RL Ukrainian broadcasts to be distributed on Nashe Radio Network

"Starting today, programmes produced by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Ukrainian Service, known locally as Radio Svoboda, will again be distributed nationwide in Ukraine. Radio Svoboda's partner in the venture is Nashe Radio, one of Ukraine's preeminent radio networks with 29 FM transmitters covering all of the major population centers in Ukraine. Under the terms of the partnership, four specially-prepared five-minute Radio Svoboda news analysis programs will be broadcast by Nashe Radio at 2.30 PM, 3.30 PM, 5.30 PM and 6.30PM local time (UTC+3)."

Venäjä/Kirjojen lukuinto hiipuu

The St. Petersburg Times: Russians' Love Affair With Books Fading

"About 37 percent of Russian people never read books, and 52 percent never buy them."

"These alarming statistics were announced in a land that in Soviet times claimed to be the leading nation of readers at the Fourth Russian Congress of the Russian Book Union in St. Petersburg last week."

"Surveys showed that only 23 percent of Russians consider themselves active readers, while 17 percent said they read only fiction. Many Russians confessed they limit their reading by literature on their specialty and read only books about health and medicine or cookbooks."

"The Russian Book Union fretted about the data, while experts hurried to look for the reason of such a drastic turnaround."

"Dina Solovyova, head of marketing department at the city's Bukvoyed bookstore chain, said the main reason for the decrease of interest in reading had to do with competition from alternative sources of information such as television and the Internet."

Venäjä/Yleisö ei juuri luota mediaan

"Some 41 percent of Russians trust federal mass media (57 among Moscow and St. Petersburg citizens). At the same time 27 percent of respondents do not trust any source of information, the poll held by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) has shown."

"Around 15 percent of Russians have confidence in local mass media (21 percent in major cities), and only 7 percent trust in regional mass media. At that, confidence in local and regional mass media does not depend on respondents' welfare, while the confidence in federal mass media is observed in better-off people."

"Television is enjoying the highest demand as a source of information for most Russians, with 76 percent of respondents getting information from federal TV channels, 32 percent from regional channels, 28 percent - from local channels."

"Federal radio and the press are in about the same demand (27 and 25 percent respectively). As for local mass media, newspapers are more popular than radio (23 and 12 percent respectively). Every tenth Russian prefers the Internet as a source of information."

Source: The Russian Journal Daily

Venäjä/Uusi IT-aikakauslehti


Data Storage to Ship to 20,000 Storage-focused Subscribers to Groteck's Communications & Technologies Magazine Information technology (IT) media company TechTarget announced today that it will launch Data Storage, a special supplement to Communications and Technologies magazine, a publication of the Groteck Company, the leading provider of business-to-business media and events in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Data Storage will be co-branded with TechTarget's Storage magazine and will feature editorial from Storage, in addition to localized content provided by Groteck's editorial staff. The first issue of Data Storage mails in August to 20,000 Communications & Technologies subscribers who have indicated they hold purchasing and decision-making responsibilities for enterprise data storage technologies. TechTarget's Storage is the only publication to dedicate its editorial coverage to the goal of providing storage-focused IT professionals with in-depth analysis and forward-looking guidance on managing, storing, networking, and safeguarding the data at the core of large organizations. Communications and Technologies magazine mails six times a year to 50,000 executives, managers and technical experts with responsibility for IT and telecommunications in Russian enterprises.

Source: Press Release

Yritysesittely:

Central European Media Enterprises

FT: A business groomed for success (18.7.2005)

"Ronald Lauder wants to make something clear. Central European Media Enterprises is not for sale."

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Central European Media Enterprises, the pioneering international television broadcasting company, operates the leading group of networks and stations across Central and Eastern Europe.

* Launched in 1994, CME was committed to Ronald Lauder’s view that the newly-democratized nations of the former Soviet bloc were hungry to view, and ready to support, independent television broadcasting.

* Prior to CME’s arrival, the region had known only state-controlled broadcasting monopolies and therefore state controlled information.

* The company's belief that viewers in the region wanted an independent voice proved accurate beyond expectations.

*Today, CME and its partners operate nine networks in six countries, with news and information programming at the heart of every operation. CME and its partners are market leaders in Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. Along with its local partners, CME operates:

- Nova TV in Croatia,
- TV Nova in the Czech Republic,
- PRO TV, Acasa and PRO CINEMA in Romania,
- Markiza TV in the Slovak Republic,
- POP TV and Kanal A in Slovenia and
- Studio 1+1 in Ukraine.

* CME is a Bermuda company, with subsidiaries in the Netherlands, London and in each operating country.

* CME’s non-executive Chairman is Ronald S. Lauder, founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Michael Garin is Chief Executive Officer, and Robert E. Burke, President and Chief Operating Officer.

* CME is traded in New York on the Nasdaq exchange and in the Czech Republic on the Prague Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “CETV”.

* CME's award-winning stations reach approximately 90 million people in markets with an estimated combined television advertising spend of approximately US$ 800 million in 2004.

* CME’s total station EBITDA margins are running over 30%, perhaps the best in broadcast television in Europe, with all established stations self financing and delivering positive cash to the holding company.

* The company’s successful business strategy is based on working closely with local partners and placing an emphasis on broadcasting locally-produced programming. Some of the biggest celebrities in Central and Eastern Europe are news anchors and program presenters on CME stations.

Source: CME

Venäjällä mainosmarkkinat kasvavat nopeimmin

"This month, RTL moved into Russia by agreeing to acquire a 30 per cent stake in REN TV, the television and production company. Gerhard Zeiler, RTL chief executive, said the deal underlined its determination to expand in eastern Europe, describing Russia as one of the fastest growing advertising markets."

"´If you’re going to be in Europe, the east is a very attractive place to be,´ according to one executive. ´It is like the western market in the 1970s with only a handful of commercial TV groups carving up a big advertising market.´"

Financial Times