This is a source of great pride to all of us working here. It is also a source of inspiration amid the daily grind of keeping an independent and professional press alive in Ukraine – a condition we believe to be necessary for the country’s freedom and prosperity.
Recent years have not been easy. A devastating financial crisis rocked the country, while the media industry suffered its own crisis, making earlier business models obsolete. It is no secret that since 2009 the paper survived on the subsidies of Kyiv Post publisher Mohammad Zahoor. As of the beginning of the year, however, this subsidy has been cut.
But just as Ukraine could enter a new era with the signature of an association and free-trade agreement in Vilnius this November, the Kyiv Post is turning a new page. In September, the paper broke even for the third month in four years.
Achieving this result was no easy task. We cut costs significantly, created new products and improved those we already had. The Kyiv Post remains, to my knowledge, the only news website in Ukraine to charge a subscription fee. While this has the disadvantage of limiting access, it has one big advantage that trumps all other arguments: the newspaper serves those who pay for it.
In a land of oligarch-dominated and politically connected media, I believe that counts for a lot.
The work never ends. We continue to bring our website up to par, which includes softening the paywall to give limited access for those just looking for a taste. Differences between the print and online versions are likely to sharpen. The Kyiv Post has to get in front of the changes in how people consume the news.
In recent weeks, I visited dozens of community leaders to ask them for feedback. Some advice was brilliant; all was helpful. I will continue to make the rounds.
I also want to thank the community for its unflinching support for the paper over the years.
But the Kyiv Post is no charity – we are proud to run our paper as a business, especially when so many do not. We do not sell stories, nor do we bow to political or business pressures to smear or polish anyone’s image. The respected and influential audience we have built over the years is our reward.
Advertising is about more than just direct sales. It is about image, reassuring your shareholders and employees that the company is visible, a sign of prestige. And, at a time when businesses need to show a common front against the country’s problems, I believe it is a sign of leadership and strength.
Faced with difficulties, the right answer is to tackle them head on, not retreat. Many of the Kyiv Post’s fellow English-language papers in the Eastern European neighborhood have fallen into a death spiral, cutting people and pages until they were no more.
Instead, we have gone on the offensive, taking on new responsibilities. The Kyiv Post now offers marketing consulting, editorial services and event organization. The change in our bottom line vindicates this decision. Holding last week’s 24-page paper, it feels better, too.
Looking forward, the Kyiv Post’s second annual Tiger Conference will be held on Dec. 3 and hopes to build on our inaugural success featuring Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili as the keynote speaker.
I joined the Kyiv Post as a staff writer in 2011, moving up through the ranks to chief editor and now the company’s CEO. Every day has been full of excitement and pride. Seeing the Kyiv Post’s chance to grow and tackle new challenges is more exciting still.
The experience hardens my conviction that both for us and our community – diplomats, government officials, businesspeople and all those who believe in Ukraine – the Kyiv Post plays and will continue to play a crucial role. There simply is no alternative.
Kyiv Post CEO Jakub Parusinski can be reached at [email protected]
