University of Cologne 

The publication at hand comprises the extended versions of the papers presented at the conference „Public Service Broadcasting. A German-Ukrainian Exchange of Opinions” on October 20th, 2010, in Cologne. The conference has been organised by the Institute for Broadcasting Economics jointly with the Kyiv Mohyla School of Journalism at the National University „Kyiv-Mohyla Academy“ (Kyiv, Ukraine). The cooperation has been supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Federal Foreign Office within the project „Introduction of a Public Service Broadcasting as a Means of Supporting Democracy in Ukraine? A German-Ukrainian Exchange of Opinions“.

The proceedings include welcome remarks by Dr. Manfred Kops and Prof. Dr. Serhiy Kvit, papers on the general situation of the media in Ukraine (by Prof. Dr. Serhiy Kvit and Dr. Diana Dutsyk), on the public service broadcasting introduction efforts (by Dr. Alexander Belyakov, Nataliya Petrova and Oleksandr Voitko) and on the challenges of the Ukrainian media landscape (by Anastasiia Grynko, Dariya Orlova and Daria Taradai) as well as the transcript of the final discussion (chaired by Prof. Dr. Hans J. Kleinsteuber). The publication documents the challenges in the media sphere which the Ukrainian society has to grapple with and the discussion about them between the participants from Germany and Ukraine. From a contribution by Prof. Dr. Hans J. Kleinsteuber to the final discussion: “Ukraine somehow is at a crossing point: Either it goes the Russian way, which might be the way of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and other countries without freedom of expression and plenty of media restrictions. Or it goes the Central European way, the way of Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic where public service broadcasting systems have been successfully introduced. These countries might not enjoy the broadcasting independence that we all wish, but their broadcasting media are certainly more than just a mouthpiece of the president or of the state apparatus. In fact it is our obligation here in the West to help you to find your own way into a European media system and not end in something like we see in Central Asia and unfortunately also in Moscow. All we can offer is to help you. If you fight, if you have good ideas, if you support the right people in politics, there is at least the chance of gradual change”.

The first conference within this project took place on June 22nd. Results were published in the Series Working papers of the Institute for Broadcasting Economics, No. 276, Olexiy Khabyuk, Manfred Kops (Eds.): Public Service Broadcasting: A German-Ukrainian Exchange of Opinions. Results of the Conference on June 22nd, 2010 in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Table of Contents:

Manfred Kops, Serhiy Kvit
Welcome remarks

Part 1: The General Situation of the Media in Ukraine

Serhiy Kvit
Mass Communications of an Independent Ukraine, in the Context of Normative Theories and as an Evidence of Modernisation Theory

Diana Dutsyk
Media Ownership Structure in Ukraine: Political Aspects

Part 2: Introduction of Public Service Broadcasting in Ukraine

Alexander Belyakov
Public Service Broadcasting: an Answer to Freedom of Speech Challenges in Ukraine?

Nataliya Petrova
Legal Components of Public Broadcasting

Oleksandr Voitko
Comparative Analysis of Approaches to Public Service Broadcasting Implementation in Ukraine: A Historical Perspective

Part 3: Challenges of the Ukrainian Media Landscape

Anastasiia Grynko
From State Censorship to Pressure of Money: New Challenges for Media Transparency in Ukraine

Dariya Orlova
Standards of Media Coverage of Elections in Ukraine

Daria Taradai
Influence of the Russian Media on the Ukrainian Media Discourse

Chair: Hans J. Kleinsteuber
Final discussion