This month marked the last printed issue of the Ukrainian Observer, one of the few and longest-running free English-language publications printed in Kyiv
The Ukrainian Observer, with its hallmark glossy cover featuring satirical brightly-colored animation, has been in print and made available at restaurants, hotels, airlines, and other select venues since 2000. However, the magazine’s publisher, The Willard Group public relations agency, recently made the decision to fold the printed version of the publication and focus on the magazine’s online version.
The magazine, which features a medley of feature columns with a local bent, with articles on culture, business, politics, and history, along with signature animated cartoons, humor and commentary on Ukraine, is also a promotional outlet for the company.
Mike Willard, Chairman and CEO of the Willard Group Companies, announced the decision in a letter to readers on the first page of the final July issue of the magazine.
“Dear Reader, This will be the last print edition of The Ukrainian Observer,” Willard’s address begins. “I figured an upfront declaration the best way to inform our many readers that we are changing to strictly an online publication.”
“We believe this change is for the better and will aid us in fulfilling what I see as the mission of our company for the future.”
In a telephone interview with the Post, Willard said the idea of ending the printed version came about three or four weeks ago.
“It was difficult to let go of the printed version. I started the printed version eight years ago, put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it, and I really loved it.
I sort of recognized with the times that we could be more effective with our audience by really concentrating on the online edition.”
He said the magazine actually started as an online publication in 1999.
“We started on a shoestring and virtually, when people didn’t have anything to do, they worked on the Observer. It was all black-and-white and we didn’t have any advertising for it.”
Since the launch of The Ukrainian Observer, the Willard Group has expanded from 30 to 100 professional staff, opening offices in Moscow, Istanbul and Donetsk.
According to Willard, the magazine’s print version had a circulation of 17,000, while its online version gets more than 50,000 visitors per month.
Bigmir.net, a major Ukrainian web portal belonging to KP Media print media publisher and Internet site operator, was unable to confirm Willard’s figures for his magazine’s website, saying those statistics were internal to The Willard Group.
In his letter, Willard said that the company plans to increase the number of hits to the website substantially and aggressively pursue advertising for the site, which currently has none.
Willard said he also wants to add more features, adding that in essence, the Observer would be a daily with original reporting.
“I just came to the realization that I really wanted us to concentrate more on our online edition and put our resources into that. For the type of publication we have, one that would like to be a little bit more immediate, this would be the way to go.”
Willard said his company was going to change the look of the online version and remake it to look more interesting and appealing for the Observer’s online readership, “who are not just local people, but people interested in Ukraine around the world.”
“That’s one thing we want to find out more about. When it comes to the printed Observer, we know pretty well. We know that it’s generally your expat community, but a lot of Ukrainians as well who can read English.”
He said that the company concentrated on airline distribution for the magazine in the last two to three years.
Willard declined to discuss revenue from the magazine, but said it had definitely increased over the years, adding that it wasn’t a factor in his decision to go online.
No market research companies contacted by the Post were able to provide figures indicating what share of the Ukrainian magazine market had been occupied by the print version of the Observer.
KP Media, the parent company of the Post, and a major player on the Ukrainian print media market – with widely popular publications, such as the Russian-language weekly news magazine Korrespondent and entertainment weekly Afisha, among many others – was also unable to provide market-share figures for The Ukrainian Observer.
“I’m not sad to see The Ukrainian Observer print edition go, because it’s going to live on online,” said Willard.
