Current Situation with Distribution and Official Registration of Mass Media in Belarus
A range of non-state socio-political newspapers are still deprived of possibilities to launch cooperation with the "Belposhta" and "Sayuzdruk" state monopolist press distribution networks. No less than 7 socio-political newspapers are facing problems with getting officially registered in Belarus.
SUBSCRIPTION AND RETAIL SALE:
It is worth reminding that the Belarusian Association of Journalists composed a list of 13 newspapers that faced various problems with distribution in the year of 2009. It included the following periodical editions: "Bobruyskiy Kuryer," "Borisovskiye Novosti," "Vitebsliy Kuryer-M," "Volnaye Hlybokaye," "Gazeta dla Vas," "Gazeta Slonimskaya," "Hantsavitski Chas," "Intex-press," "Novy Chas," "Niasvizhski Chas," "Rehiyanalnaya Gazeta," "SNplus. Svobodnye Novosti Plus" and "Tovarisch".
BAJ decided to update the information about each periodical on the list at the beginning of 2010.
The current situation is as follows:
"Bobruyskiy Kuryer" – returned to the "Sayuzdruk" news-stalls in July 2009; no problems with subscription.
"Borisovskiye Novosti" – actual problems with subscription and distribution through the "Sayuzdruk" state monopolist’s news-stalls
"Vitebskiy Kuryer-M" – the newspaper doesn’t exist in Belarus any longer, according to Viktar Huretski, Head of Media Registration Office at the Ministry of Information of Belarus. It should be noted that the "Vitebskiy Kuryer-M" weekly has a successor under the title of "Vitebskiy Kuryer", registered in Russia. (The restored periodical faces the same problems with distribution as its predecessor.)
"Volnaye Hlybokaye" – returned to the "Sayuzdruk" news-stalls in November 2009. The newspaper is still excluded from the "Belposhta" subscription catalogue. (The editorial addressed to Vitsiebsk Branch of "Belposhta" with a request to resume cooperation in December 2009. However, it hasn’t received any reply so far.)
"Gazeta dla Vas" – returned to the "Sayuzdruk" news-stalls in 2009. The newspaper can be found in the "Belposhta" Subscription Catalogue for Ivatsevichy district. The Editor-in-chief addressed to the "Belposhta" management with a request to get included into the Subscription Catalogues for Biaroza, Pruzhany, and Drahichyn district. However, the editorial hasn’t received any reply from the state monopolist enterprise yet.
"Gazeta Slonimskaya" — actual problems with subscription and distribution through the "Sayuzdruk" state monopolist’s news-stalls
"Hantsavitski Chas" – the newspaper editorial received a letter from Brest branch of "Belposhta" in December 2009. The editorial was asked to provide information about the periodical edition and transfer 274,000 Belarusian rubles in order to be included into the regional Subscription Catalogue. Despite compiling with the request, the newspaper still cannot be found in the state monopolist’s Subscription Catalogues. (The "Belposhta" officers assure the newspaper editorial that it is just a technical problem, connected with the compiling of a new catalogue.)
Reportedly, a contract with "Brestablsayuzdruk" on distribution of "Hantsavitski Chas" through the news-stalls is still "regarded" by the state enterprise management.
"Intex-press" – actual problems with subscription and distribution through the "Sayuzdruk" state monopolist’s news-stalls
"Niasvizhski Chas" – no problems with subscription; actual problems remaining with getting back to the "Sayuzdruk" state monopolist’s news-stalls
"Novy Chas" – actual problems with subscription and distribution through the "Sayuzdruk" state monopolist’s news-stalls
"Rehiyanalnaya Gazeta" – no problems with distribution through the "Sayuzdruk" news-stalls; the newspaper has been included into the "Belposhta" Subscription Catalogue for Miensk region. The newspaper editorial addressed to the "Belposhta" national management with a request to get included into the nation-wide Subscription Catalogue and received a refusal subject to the "inexpediency" of such cooperation in October 2009.
"SNplus. Svobodnye Novosti Plus" – no problems with distribution through the "Belsayuzdruk" news-stalls; the newspaper still has problems with getting back to the "Belposhta" Subscription Catalogue
"Tovarisch" – actual problems with subscription and distribution through the "Sayuzdruk" state monopolist’s news-stalls; the newspaper is still printed in Smolensk (Russia) for the lack of possibilities to sign contracts with printing houses in Belarus; the newspaper publishing got suspended in November 2009 for economic reasons
"ARCHE" magazine – actual problems with distribution through the "Sayuzdruk" state monopolist’s news-stalls; no problems with distribution by subscription
"Otdushina" – actual problems with subscription and distribution through the "Sayuzdruk" state monopolist’s news-stalls. (The newspaper used to be distributed as an entertaining supplement to the "Gazeta Slonimskaya" weekly. However, it got re-registered as a separate socio-political newspaper in 2009.)
Thus, it is only the "Bobruyskiy Kuryer" weekly that has managed to solve the problem with distribution by the present moment. Consequently, it can be deleted from the list.
The newspaper may be joined by "Hantsavitski Chas", if the delay with its return to the "Belposhta" Subscription Catalogue and the "Sayuzdruk" news-stalls is "a technical matter", as presented by the management of "Belposhta" and "Sayuzdruk".
The following newspapers are distributed neither by "Belposhta", nor by "Sayuzdruk" as of January 2010:
1. "Borisovskiye Novosti"
2. "Gazeta Slonimskaya"
3. "Intex-press"
4. "Novy Chas"
5. "Otdushina"
6. "Tovarisch"
The following periodicals are distributed either by subscription ("Belposhta") OR through the news-stalls ("Sayuzdruk") OR in the restricted area:
1. "Volnaye Hlybokaye"
2. "Gazeta dlaVas"
3. "Niasvizhski Chas"
4. "Rehiyanalnaya Gazeta"
5. "SNplus. Svobodnye Novosti Plus"
6. "ARCHE" magazine
The following printed periodical editions have terminated publishing on the score of economic difficulties, including the impossibility of cooperation with "Belposhta" and "Sayuzdruk", since the year of 2006: "Salidarnasc", "BDG. Delovaya Gazeta", "Birzha Informacyi" (Hrodna), "Liakhavitski Chas" (Liakhavichy, Brest region), "Miestnaya Gazeta" (Vaukavysk, Hrodna region), "Khimik" (Navapolatsk, Vitebsk region), "Miastsovy Chas" (Pinsk, Brest region), "Vitebskiy Kuryer-M" (Vitebsk).
The "Narodnaya Vola" and "Nasha Niva" independent newspapers were permitted to return to the state-owned press distribution networks at the end of 2008. Also, "Narodnaya Vola" was permitted to get printed inside the country again.
OFFICIAL REGISTRATION OF NEW PERIODICAL EDITIONS:
As soon as the new Belarus" Law "On the Media" came into force (February 8, 2009), the process of official registration of new media outlets got simplified.
In particular, the media outlets don’t have to agree upon the location of their editorials with the local executive authorities anymore. It was this legal norm that prevented numerous non-state periodical editions from getting the official registration.
The process of legalization of new media outlets intensified at first. In particular, the "Uzhorak" "general political" newspaper (Horki, Mahilou region) was registered in April 2009. The "Piunaya" ("Beer") newspaper was registered in the summer of 2009. "Brestkiy Kaleydoskop" and a range of advertising and entertaining periodical editions, including "Gazeta pa-luninetsku" (Luninets, Brest region), "Vsio dla Vas" (Brest), "Reklamnyj Borzhomi" (Barysau) and some other newspapers, was legalized in September 2009.
However, the founders of periodical editions started facing complications with getting the official registration in the autumn of 2009. In particular, the Ministry of Information amended its Regulations on Registration in October 2009. Thus, the Editors-in-chief were obliged to be the higher school graduates. Also, they were expected to have similar managerial experience etc.
According to the information, received by the Belarusian Association of Journalists, the Ministry of Information of Belarus has refused to register the following periodical editions:
"Mahilouski Chas" (Mahilou);
"Soligorsk Plus" (Salihorsk, Miensk region)
"Novaya Gazeta Bobruyska" (Babruysk, Mahilou region)
"Marynahorskaya" (Maryna Horka, Miensk region)
"Prefect Plus" (Hlybokaye, Vitebsk region)
"Khimik. Dva Goroda" (Navapolatsk, Vitebsk region)
The founders of one more periodical edition objected to the broad distribution of information about their problems with getting the official registration in Belarus.
