Ukraine’s Public Service Broadcaster: Journalism as Public Good
A Ukrainian public broadcaster promotes trustworthy news and information with support from USAID
The development of the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC) is a milestone achievement for Ukraine’s independent media sector. A recipient of USAID media support following Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity in 2014, the public broadcaster (better known as Suspilne, Ukrainian for “Public”) has grown into an independent and indispensable part of Ukraine’s media landscape.
The establishment of a truly independent public broadcaster is a prerequisite for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and it demonstrates Ukraine’s longstanding commitment to pursuing pro-European reforms, building a diverse and pluralistic media sector, and consolidating its democratic achievements. The public broadcaster continues to operate amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, countering disinformation by providing the country’s citizens with vital reporting on the war.
Galyna Petrenko of the Ukrainian NGO Detector Media, a USAID partner organization devoted to media development, shares the story of Suspilne’s successful reform.
Only a few years ago, it was a clumsy state television and radio company — a relic of the Soviet Union that served as the mouthpiece of the authorities. Today, the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC), known as Suspilne, is rightfully considered the biggest success story in media reform in Ukraine in recent years. Due to the efforts of civil society along with assistance from USAID and other international development partners, Suspilne has grown into a genuine public broadcaster with an independent editorial policy and a track-record of serving the people of Ukraine.
Today, Suspilne consists of two television channels, three radio stations, 24 regional television and radio stations, a digital platform, and even a choir. It is financed primarily from the state budget and employs roughly 4,000 people.
The broadcaster was not always so impressive, however.
At the time of Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, there was limited understanding and experience of an independent public broadcaster: an entity that was neither private nor state television. The country’s politicians did little to develop its independence; they had a vested interest in using television and radio resources to advance their personal agendas, especially during election seasons.
Each of Ukraine’s revolutions — the Revolution on Granite of 1990, the Orange Revolution of 2004, and the Revolution of Dignity of 2014 — ushered in an attempt to create a public service broadcaster. Only the last one succeeded.
The Revolution of Dignity created a historic opportunity to establish a media system overseen by civil society and accountable to the public rather than to politicians and state institutions.
In April 2014, Ukraine’s Parliament passed a law to liquidate the old state broadcaster and replace it with a new public broadcasting entity. The process faced hurdles, however, including a lack of knowledge on how to conduct this transformation and reform-resistant authorities. It was three years before Suspiline was legally registered in January 2017.
“Based on previous experience of liquidation of state companies, it is no secret how many obstacles arose during the process,” said Svitlana Ostapa, who at the time was the deputy head of Suspilne’s supervisory board and was part of those early decisions (she is currently the head of Suspilne’s supervisory board). “Added to that, there was also bureaucracy and the human factor.”
Once established, the pillars of Suspilne’s independence — its independent editorial policy, public oversight through citizen representation on the supervisory board, and a reliable mechanism for funding — were continually threatened by successive governments that tried to cut the company’s financing. Each presidential administration tried to put a loyalist in charge. Members of parliament frequently demanded that they be given airtime — and regularly tried to introduce legislative amendments to force the public broadcaster to grant this demand. Fortunately, this was unsuccessful.
Suspilne steadfastly maintained its independence. And its positive influence on the Ukrainian media landscape continued to grow. Today, it plays an indispensable role in the country’s media landscape.
During elections, Suspilne’s news programs follow journalistic standards and do not contain hidden political advertising. Unlike many private television channels, Suspilne’s content speaks to audiences from different regions and is inclusive of different social groups, including minorities. Suspilne has also developed high-quality children’s programming and talk radio, things which most private broadcasters shy away from because neither are profitable. Suspilne is devoted to serving the public.
“Suspilne is not always just about ratings. I am not against higher ratings, but not at any cost, and not at the expense of quality news,” said Svitlana. “Additionally, public trust in the broadcaster is growing, and so are the ratings.”
This is backed up by a study by Democratic Initiatives Foundation, commissioned by Detector Media, at the end of 2021. Most Ukrainian national TV channels lost audiences in 2021. The only TV channel that gained was Suspilne, whose audience grew by 5%. According to the same study, trust in Suspilne nearly doubled.
Since Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Suspilne has managed to continue full operations.
Its management and some of its creative and production staff have relocated from Kyiv to Lviv in western Ukraine. Its regional branches in Odesa, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Kropyvnytskyi, Dnipro, Sumy, Cherkasy, and other cities continue to operate. Correspondents report from the field despite constant shelling.
The reality of the now three-month-old war has set in in other ways, however. The country’s war effort has required inevitable budget cuts and staff losses. The government reduced Suspilne’s budget by 10% and more than 70 staff members have joined Ukraine’s Armed Forces or Territorial Defense Units.
Ukraine’s public broadcaster, Suspilne, persists. Why? Because Ukrainian citizens across the country, some living under Russian occupation or displaced by the war, depend on Suspilne’s vital information and news.
Suspilne provides eyewitness reports of the tragedy and cruelty of the war and the resilience of the Ukrainian people. Please watch it in Ukrainian or English.
About the Authors
Galyna Petrenko is a director at NGO Detector Media, a Ukrainian nonprofit established 20 years ago as a multifunctional platform combining media content creation, media research, advocacy for legislative media changes and media education. Galyna is a seasoned journalist and media expert, as well as a member of the Public Council at the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada [Ukrainian Parliament] on Freedom of Speech. Josh Machelder is the Senior Media Advisor in USAID’s Center for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance.
