Council for Electronic Media and the Bulgarian News Agency Organised a Discussion in Sofia on the Future of Regional Media

A discussion on the future of regional media was held in Sofia. The event was organised by the Council for Electronic Media and the Bulgarian News Agency.

Among the main challenges identified were low pay, the exodus of journalists from the profession, and dependence on local authorities and business interests. Participants stressed the need for a national programme of financial support to create conditions for independent and high-quality journalism.

Gabriela Naplatanova, Chair of the Council for Electronic Media:

“Regional news and correspondents are the media’s connection to local communities. They are the bridge to politics, because if they do not bring the specific problems of a community to the attention of policymakers, those issues remain confined within that community. As a result, the community ceases to be represented in the flow of information and, consequently, in public discourse. This leads to the phenomenon of ‘news deserts’ or ‘information deserts’, which is a growing concern. According to the latest reports, the risk in Bulgaria ranges from medium to high.”

Milena Milotinova, Director General of the Bulgarian National Television, emphasised the importance of regional journalism:

“Regional journalists and regional news are extremely important for the entire media sector, but even more so for BNT, as one of our channels, BNT 2, is dedicated to this profile. We incorporate regional news into all our programmes and news casts. It is no coincidence that BNT1 has a dedicated programme, presented daily by Mariana Vekilska, focusing on regional news. The volume of regional coverage is substantial, which is why we created the programme years ago and continue to maintain it.”

Milena Milotinova, Director General of Bulgarian National Television: “The management of BNT regards the regional television centres and correspondent offices as an integral part of the organisation. They are our colleagues in every sense — not only journalistically, but also in terms of technological development. During this term of office, we will work to ensure that the technological capabilities of BNT Sofia are brought into line with those of the regional television centres. We will do everything possible to ensure that our colleagues have access to the same tools and equipment as those used in Sofia. I believe they deserve nothing less.”