Television broadcasting of the Sumy region during the period of martial law: problems and challenges

Abstract

Introduction. From the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the majority of regional broadcasters and program service providers of Sumy Oblast found themselves in the zone of active hostilities. Therefore, the description of the work of border regional broadcasters during martial law is extremely relevant. Relevance of the study. The proposed study will provide an opportunity to learn the practical experience of border regional TV broadcasters of Sumy Oblast in war conditions, to identify problem areas that need to be eliminated, and the reactions of the media community and the state to them. Methodology. During the work on the research, a number of general scientific methods and techniques were used, including interviews with the heads of regional TV channels of Sumy Oblast, monitoring, content analysis, descriptive, analysis and synthesis. Results. It was found that the majority of TV and radio companies and software service providers of the Sumy region work today in difficult financial and economic conditions, their activities are affected by such factors as a lack of personnel; danger during business trips; emotional burnout and anxiety disorders; loss of confidence in financial stability; end of grant support and inability to finance work; stoppage of the advertising market; attacks on websites; loss of competitive advantages in the media environment. In addition, the threat of a repeated attack by the Russian army from the north and north-east is not excluded; new intense attacks on critical infrastructure will lead to blackouts and the absence of communication and the Internet. Despite this, the TRC of the region showed considerable solidarity in the most acute period, did not stop broadcasting and continue to work. Although it is becoming more and more difficult to do this every day. Currently, private media survive on the principle: «Make money for salaries or close the company» The financial component comes to the fore, which is a dangerous signal. As for the Public Broadcaster, the reformation (creation of a system of regional HUBs) worsened the position of regional branches. Regional broadcasters on the ground are currently not associated as separate “players”. Therefore, under such conditions, regional television companies cannot be as efficient as possible and fully fulfill their task of providing citizens with high-quality information services. Conclusions. The state already needs to think about the perspective of regional broadcasters’ functioning and their support, especially those broadcasters who work in border areas and are an informational outpost of Ukraine.