Belsat changes its ways during the pandemic


Here is how we have reorganized our work to bring you new information about the state of health in Belarus and the region every day.

If it can be done remotely — do it!

How does television work during a pandemic? The answer should be ‘as always, or at least so that viewers do not notice the difference’. We needed to learn how to do a lot of things remotely, and how to minimize the number of activities that required direct contacts with other people.

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Experience is our trump card

“As soon as the pandemic state hit us, the whole of our editorial team switched to remote work,” says Beata Krasicka, Deputy Director for Planning and TV Programs. “Given that the editors are in Poland, and journalists and producers are in Belarus and other countries, it turned out that it is very convenient to organize online meetings at any time, without the need to physically come to the office. So now we meet more often. I even think that this way of communication will to some extent remain with us even after the epidemic”.

The experience gained by Belsat employees during the twelve years of the station’s existence is difficult to overestimate. Scattered throughout Belarus, they have become accustomed to remote communication with the editorial office, which monitors their work, and quickly send their stories for broadcast. Until recently, when performing their professional duties, they faced various difficulties — mostly various forms of repression — but they had never had to work in a situation that endangered their health.

Safe information area

“When the state of the epidemic was declared, we had two main challenges: to save the broadcast of the information editorial office so that our viewers would not be left without latest news, and to preserve the health and safety of our workers. To do this, we had to divide in three groups of journalists, which almost do not cross with each other,” says the head of the information department Dzmitry Yahorau.

“Journalists and cameramen working out there filming things also have a very limited range of contacts with colleagues. Disinfectants appeared in the editorial office, while handshakes and crowded meetings disappeared. Some colleagues started working from home and turned up in the editorial office very rarely — only when there was an absolute need”.

The channel has a new news program Belsat Zoom. While at home, its authors record video conversations with guests. “I haven’t seen some journalists, editors and video editors in person several weeks,” Dzmitry Yahorau continues. “I really hope for a big and friendly meeting of colleagues “when it’s over, when such meetings can be arranged safely”.

Meanwhile, the buildings housing the Warsaw editorial office of Belsat are divided into color zones. Staff may only visit the premises where they are required to perform their duties. At the front door, nurses dressed in aseptic overalls measure temperature of every person entering the building.

Between work and isolation

Not everything, however, can be done without direct contact with people. Our Minsk reporter Iryna Arakhouskaya covered the epidemic situation in Belarus until her health was in danger:

“Recently a colleague and I were at the funeral of a nurse who had died of COVID-19. And on the same day we accidentally communicated with the family, which had tested positive for the virus. After that, the editors decided to send us to quarantine”.

Since Iryna does not live alone, she decided to isolate herself at the summer house: “I planted a garden and time passed quickly, I was not bored. I have been working with tragic news for the last few months and of course it has a psychological effect. I try to switch to books, read less what’s on Facebook and news sites”.

On air and online

Authors and producers of journalistic cycles are in a more comfortable situation than those who work for the daily news programs. But here, too, additional security measures were required:

“During the preparation of journalistic programs in Belarus, we introduced requirements similar to those in force in Poland. And the releases that were too risky for both journalists and guests were postponed,” Beata Krasicka adds.

However, during the pandemic, Belsat launched two large Internet projects: the information portal vot-tak.tv aimed at Russian-speaking audiences and the Belsat Smart application for owners of TV sets with Internet access.

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Finally on Smart TV!

According to Volha Shved, who is in charge of new technological solutions at Belsat, this was the best moment:

“When people stay home more often, they spend a lot more time in front of the TV,” Volha explains. “But launching such a large-scale digital project is difficult if you can’t meet with the team and “point the finger” at the problem at hand. Although, of course, technology for remote meetings helps a lot.”

Unexpectedly, the biggest problem was not this, but the work of Google which had slowed down in times of epidemic. Due to this, Belsat Smart appeared in the Google Play virtual store later than it could have.

Stay with us at this difficult time and follow the work of Belsat journalists. You can now do it on Smart TV, as well as on the new portal vot-tak.tv, which you can recommend to your Russian-speaking friends not only in Belarus but also in other countries of the former Soviet Union.

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