US-Ukrainian Media Partnerships Celebrate Five Years of Success

By Sarah Keith

The Ukraine Media Partnership Program (UMPP) recently completed its fifth year of developing long-term professional partnerships between US and Ukrainian media outlets. Since the program’s start in 2002, 16 partnerships have brought 79 Ukrainian media professionals to the US and 45 American professionals to Ukraine to exchange experiences and assist in the development of their partner media outlets.

A workshop marking the fifth year brought together 24 past participants from regional media outlets in Ukraine to share lessons learned and exchange experiences in professionalizing their media outlets. The workshop also included training for the participants with a focus on developing sustainability through improved marketing and promotions.

Some of the key outcomes from the workshop included the following:

    * Collaboration Drives Successful Partnerships. For the first two years of UMPP, Ukrainian partners were ‘absorbing’ new knowledge from their US partners and reproducing those ideas. Since 2006, however, partnerships have acquired a new format based on a mutual exchange of ideas and innovations, including discussion panels and roundtables. This enables US partners to thoroughly understand the challenges facing the Ukrainian outlets and to better work with them in the development of practical solutions.

    * Social and Corporate Responsibility Projects Have increased. At the start of UMPP, the media situation necessitated that Ukrainian outlets focus on gaining access to the advertising market, seeking profit, and maintaining a level of professionalism. As the situation has changed, Ukrainian media organizations are realizing that participation in community life raises the public’s trust in media and improves their outlet’s image. US partners are now advising them on how to become socially active and responsible through charity projects and outreach.

    * Partnerships Become Self-Sustaining after US Funding Ends. The programmatic term of a UMPP partnership does not signal the end of cooperation between partnering outlets. Many partnerships have found ways to continue working together even after project funding for the partnership has ended. For example, TV-4 has continued live link-ups and election coverage with their US partner for two years after the funding for their partnership ended. Union TV also continues to work with 13 WMAZ on their charity project.

    * Multimedia is seen as the future. Ukrainian media specialists have acquired knowledge about multimedia platforms at US media organizations. Now, partnerships devote considerable time to creating and improving the outlets’ websites, web resources, online advertising, and innovative ways to reach their audience with real-time news.

The workshop was organized by one of the alumni media outlets, Melitopolskiye Vedomosti. The paper received a grant from the US Embassy in Ukraine’s Media Development Fund to host the event. It brought together partners representing much of Ukraine, including Kremenchuk (Kremenchutskyy Telegraf), Dniprodzerzhynsk (Sobitiye), Stakhanov (Telegazeta), Melitopol (Melitopolskiye Vedomosti), Makiyivka (TV UNION), Vinnytsya (RIA), Simferopol (Chernomorska Teleradio Company), Ternopil (TV-4), Kherson (Grivna) and Feodosia (Kafa).

UMPP was launched in 2002 with funding from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the US Department of State. Since 2005, the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy in Ukraine has funded UMPP.