“What worries me the most is financial pressure on Public broadcaster”- Oksana Romanyuk

Photo credit: National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting

Oksana Romanyuk, executive director of the Institute of Mass Information, considers the reform of Public Broadcaster to be the most successful one that has been carried out in Ukraine since the Revolution of Dignity. While also, she is most concerned about the financial pressure on the Public Broadcaster, as she said it interviewed by Hromadske radio.

“I believe that the reform of public broadcasting is the most successful reform that has been implemented in Ukraine since the Revolution of Dignity. My main task is to furtherly promote this reform and to strengthen the public broadcaster institutionally. Ukrainian men and women are extremely avid for a high-quality, independent information, high-quality independent news. I see this as a priority for myself, ” as the IMI Executive Director said.

She also added that all this should be a part of a system approach, together with an active explanatory work among the audience, among potential viewers, listeners about what the public broadcaster is, what advantages and differences it has unlike with commercial broadcasters.

“What worries me the most is the financial pressure on Public brodcaster. I can add protection against pressure to my priorities, as last year funding was only 60%. We look forward that this year, public broadcaster will be fully funded, because in lack of funds we are unable to make a quality content.

Absolutely, we have to act on several levels. It is important to inform the decision-makers, members of the Cabinet of Ministers, and MPs what a public broadcaster is, why it is important for Ukraine, and why they should support it. This should be accompanied by an information campaign for a wide audience of potential viewers, listeners, because this is highly important to form public opinion in this case, " Oksana Romanyuk said.

As IMI reported, on October 13, Oksana Romaniuk, Executive Director of the Institute of Mass Information, was elected a member of the Supervisory Board of the National Public Television and Radio Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC) from non-governmental organizations in the matter of journalism.