Comment by the Director of Belsat on the situation with television financing
Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released the Development Cooperation Plan for 2024. It indicates that 40 millions zlotys (approx. 10.170.000 USD) will be allocated this year to finance Belsat TV. The document was published on March 7.
In a comment to Belsat, the channel’s director, Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy, stated that this is all the current information regarding the channel’s future funding. However, it should be noted that funds allocated for the channel’s activities have been documented in similar reports throughout Belsat’s 17-year history.
– I have not received any additional information on this matter as no one has reached out to us yet to provide more detailed information, stated the channel director.
She noted that if the funds assigned to Belsat this year are limited to the current amount, it would result in a significant budget reduction of almost 50%. It is a dangerous situation because every institution has fixed costs, such as equipment expenses, that will remain constant regardless of any reduction in the number of employees.
–It means that Belsat can employ fifteen or seven journalists, but it will not reduce the costs of maintaining the channel – said Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy.
She has yet to rule out the possibility of allocating separate funding for the Russian-language editorial office. It is unclear on what basis and sources this budget would come from.
-No one has spoken yet about it, and this worries me. Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy hopes this won’t lead to Belsat’s liquidation.
She pointed out that during Belsat’s existence, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Polish Television allocated over 127 millions USD for its activities. She believes that these significant amounts should not be wasted.
The director emphasized that Belsat is more than just a small media outlet oriented towards Belarus. Moreover, the Russian-language editorial office is also a crucial part of the channel.
-I would like to emphasize that this medium is primarily directed towards the East, where there is a mix of Belarusian and Russian-speaking people. This region should be treated as a whole since its parts are interconnected and influence each other. I believe there should be an equivalent representation of this by television, said Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy.
Despite the ongoing war, many Ukrainian residents who digest information in Russian are part of Belsat’s audience. She believes this will remain unchanged in the coming years.
– So, we are also a specific answer to Ukrainian problems. We also have a broad media offer for these people and a proposal for the Russians interested in overthrowing Putin’s regime. It is necessary to note that these media are created by journalists from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine to reach their respective audiences effectively”, stated Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy.
She added that Belsat is not just a TV channel but a multimedia platform that broadcasts in various languages to the East. There is a synergy between all the language versions, editorial offices, and resources of Belsat, as it is currently one geographically and politically unified region. This synergy should be maintained even if there are plans to create two separate TV channels, one in Belarusian and the other in Russian.
-Belsat’s strength as a multilingual multimedia platform lies in its multicolored, diverse nature. The Belarusian component is the central core, highlighting Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy.
- Belsat is the first independent television channel in Belarus, which began broadcasting on December 10, 2007. Polish Television started developing the project in June 2006 under the management of Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy. Belsat is affiliated with public Polish Television.
- Belsat was established through an agreement between the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Polish Television. The agreement assumed long-term cooperation and financing of the channel.
- Currently, Belsat is a multimedia platform that includes Belarusian television and the Russian-language Vot Tak media project, as well as 13 YouTube channels, websites in 4 languages (Belarusian, Russian, Polish, English), and several social media profiles, such as Facebook, Instagram or X (formerly Twitter).
pp/belsat.eu
Translated by PEV
