Ukraine's newspaper business is suddenly booming, but analysts say that politics, rather than the improving economy, is driving the surge.
At least five new nationwide newspapers, all based in Kyiv, have been launched since the presidential elections ended last November, each claiming to be a viable business entity driven by simple supply and demand.
Political and media analysts dispute those claims, arguing that the new papers, like most media outlets in Ukraine, are controlled by powerful business and political interests and have little interest in being profitable.
'It looks like people are printing these newspapers for themselves, not for a particular audience,' said Alevtyna Boretska of the Kyiv office of the European Institute for Media.
The publication 2000 initiated the boom in late November. 2000 is a weekly 32-page color broad sheet that includes an insert about Kyiv's entertainment life and costs Hr 1.95, which makes it one of the most expensive newspapers in Ukraine.
Its launch was followed shortly after by the introduction of four other weeklies – Vlada I Polityka (Power and Politics), Svoboda (Freedom), Itogi (Summary), and Kievskiy Telegraf (Kyiv Telegraph). They all come out in tabloid format, have no ads, and their prices range from 25 kopeks to 75 kopeks.
Boretska said none of the papers would have much chance of survival in their current formats without some powerful financial clout behind them.
'I don't believe in their independence, [just like] I don't believe that they have chances to survive in this weak market,' Boretska said.
There is some evidence to support her. One of the five new papers, Vlada I Polityka, openly says on its masthead that the chief of the newspaper's supervisory council is Anatoly Holubchenko, a former first deputy prime minister.
Analysts also note that the papers appeared only after the presidential election, the state pressure on the media had died down and the wars between the various business clans had resumed.
'Nobody was willing to start a new project before the [presidential] election, so [they] waited until those in power started ignoring the press again,' said Henady Poshtar, head of Irex ProMedia, a Western-financed NGO.
The new papers unilaterally deny that they have power brokers backing them up. They claim to be independent media sources in the business of making money.
Oleksandr Yurchuk, editor Itogi, admitted that the paper had a single 'sponsor,' but said eventually the paper would be self-supporting. He added that the sponsor allowed complete editorial freedom.
'We're trying to create a precedent of free press in Ukraine,' said Yurchuk, who has so far produced only a pilot edition, but plans to go weekly soon and daily by September.
The paper's first issue included an editorial, which promised to be equally critical of the authorities regardless of their rank.
Oleh Liashko, editor of Svoboda, said that his paper had no sponsors at all, and the money to start the project was earned by selling an old stock of paper left over from Polityka, his previous newspaper project. 'I have full control over the paper,' he said.
He added that his paper would survive on sales alone, like Polityka did. He acknowledged, however, that Polityka during its hard times had sometimes taken 'loans' from foreign individuals, who are 'interested in having such a newspaper' in Ukraine. He said the loans were always fully returned.
Liashko's previous paper was also opposition-minded and very similar in format. It died off when a court banned its publication last summer following several libel lawsuits from state bodies.
Liashko and other editors of the new papers say their papers will achieve financially success by filling previously vacant niches in the market.
'We aim for a completely (different) niche – the niche for a newspaper highly critical of the government, where you can read the things that nobody else would print,' Liashko said.
Itogi's Yurchuk said his newspaper is aimed at 'all intelligent people.'
Analysts said the two editors don't understand the definition of 'niche.' They point out that all of the new newspapers – with the exception of 2000 – put heavy emphasis on domestic politics and economics, with little variety beyond that.
'I don't see them trying to get into any particular niche at all,' Boretska said.
