Mass Media in Belarus
Warming-up.
What are the most famous TV channels in Belarus?
What Belarusian newspapers and magazines do you know?
How often do you read a newspaper?
What is your favourite newspaper?
What is the difference between a 'tabloid' newspaper and a 'broadsheet'? Which is more popular?
Do people usually read regional or national newspapers?
Is there a lot of advertisement in newspapers?
Are newspapers usually biased or independent?
Do you subscribe to a newspaper? What are the advantages of a subscription?
Do you know any internationally famous newspapers?
Read the following text. How many newspapers and magazines are there in Belarus? How many national news agencies operate in Belarus? What official document makes the legal basis of the media activity in Belarus?
Make sure you understand the meaning of the following words and word-combinations:
different forms of ownership
the national media space
influential
print media outlets
the majority
to air
the target group
the main attractions
the tourist destinations
to provide online broadcasting
Mass Media in Belarus
A variety of print media and electronic media of different forms of ownership is operating in Belarus. Foreign media are widely represented in the national media space, too.
As of 1 January 2024, 369 newspapers and 536 magazines were published in Belarus. More than half of them are private.
Printed press is available mainly in the Belarusian and Russian languages, there are publications in English and Chinese.
The most influential newspapers include Belarus Segodnya and the Respublika. Local editions of major Russian newspapers Komsomolskaya Pravda and Argumenty i Fakty are very popular in Belarus, too.
All in all, more than 1,700 foreign print media outlets are distributed in the country, including those from Russia and Kazakhstan.
Seven national news agencies, including five private ones, operate in Belarus.
The BelTA News Agency is the country’s biggest news agency, having the correspondent network in all the regions of the country.
Besides Belarusian news agencies, foreign media outlets have their offices in Minsk, including TASS, Rossiya Segodnya and Xinhua.
As of 1 January 2024, there were 89 radio broadcast stations and 92 television broadcast stations in Belarus. 28 radio stations and 51 TV broadcast stations were private. The majority of public radio stations are run by the local authorities. There are around 30 FM radio stations in Belarus, including Radius FM, Radio Unistar (Belarusian-German media project), Europe plus and others.
The target audience of the Belarus radio station are foreigners interested in local events. The radio station airs programs not only in Belarusian and Russian, but also in English, German, Polish, French, Spanish and Chinese.
There are national TV broadcasters in Belarus: Belarus 1, Belarus 2 (youth audience), Belarus 3 (social and cultural content), Belarus 5 (sport), Second National TV Channel (ONT), Stolichnoye Televideniye (STV).
A new regional TV channel Belarus 4 is available as of September 2015. The channel provides a platform for all the regions of the country. In each region the channel offers an original TV product with a different label for each region: Belarus 4. Mogilev, Belarus 4. Gomel and so on...
The first and only Belarus’ international satellite TV channel, Belarus 24, began broadcasting in 2005 (Belarus TV). Today it broadcasts 24/7 for 200,000,000 viewers in 100 countries. The main TV content is news and analysis on major events in the country and the world, interesting TV projects, high-quality films, and, of course, a lot of programs on Belarus: the unique history and culture of the country, the main attractions and tourist destinations, Belarusian cuisine, famous brands, outstanding people.
The programs of the channel are transmitted via ABS-2A, Express AM8 and Azerspace-1 satellites. The channel is available to viewers in Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, Africa and North America. The programs are aired 24/7 in the Russian and Belarusian languages. The channel also provides online broadcasting on the Internet.
Around 200 international channels are broadcasted via cable TV in Belarus.
By June 2015 Belarus completed the switch from analog to digital broadcast television. Today digital broadcasting (the first multiplex of 8 TV and 1 radio channels) is available practically to 100% of the population.
The Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and the Law "On Mass Media" (adopted in 2008 and amended in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023) constitutes the legal basis of the media activity in Belarus.
The Constitution of the Republic of Belarus guarantees the freedom of thought, belief and expression, prohibits the monopolization of the media and censorship.
The Law "On Mass Media" formalizes the basic principles of mass media’s activity: accuracy, equality, respect for human rights and freedoms, diversity of views; protection of morals; observance of the norms of journalist’s professional ethics.
The law is the basis for introducing the elements of self-regulation in the media field in Belarus. To this end, the Public Coordination Council on the Media was set up. It consists of representatives of mass media, journalism organizations and experts.
Media and publishing forums in Belarus are:
- International expo Mass Media in Belarus
- Belarusian international media forum Partnership for the Future
- Forum of young journalists
- Minsk International Book Fair
The Belarusian Written Language Day, an annual celebration of the Belarusian culture, language, and literature, occupies a special place in the calendar of public events in Belarus.
Questions to discuss:
- About how many hours of TV do you watch every day?
- What are some of your favorite shows?
- Do you like any foreign TV shows?
- What is the funniest show on television?
- Do you think people watch too much television?
- Are TV shows getting better or worse?
- Would you like to be on TV?
- Do you have a favorite channel?
- Do you have cable, satellite television, or neither?
- Can you recommend a TV show to your classmates?
- What is the best drama on TV now?