The National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC) is Ukraine’s leading public broadcaster. It has operated under its current structure and name since 2017, with two nationwide television channels, three national radio stations, and a network of regional radio and television broadcasters.
Prior to its rebranding as UA:PBC, the company operated as the National Television Company of Ukraine (NTU), a state-run broadcaster. The company’s history in Ukraine dates back to 1924, when it launched radio broadcasting in the country, which was then part of the Soviet Union. The company subsequently launched its television service in 1965. In 2022, UA:PBC was rebranded to Suspilne Ukraine.
Media assets
Television: National- Pershyi, Suspilne Sport, Suspilne Kultura; Regional– Suspilne Crimea, Suspilne Cherkasy, Suspilne Chernihiv, Suspilne Chernivtsi, Suspilne Donbas, Suspilne Dnipro, Suspilne Kharkiv, Suspilne Kherson, Suspilne Khmelnytskyi, Suspilne Kiev, Suspilne Kropyvnytskyi, Suspilne Lviv, Suspilne Mykolaiv, Suspilne Odesa, Suspilne Poltava, Suspilne Rivne, Suspilne Sumy, Suspilne Ternopil, Suspilne Vinntysa, Suspilne Lutsk, Suspilne Uzhhorod, Suspilne Zaporizhzhia, Suspilne Zhytomyr
Radio: Radio Ukraine, Radio Promin, Radio Culture, Radio Ukraine International
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State-Funded and State-Managed (ISFM)
Ownership and governance
UA:PBC was established in accordance with the Public Television and Radio Law of 2014 as a public joint-stock company with 100% state ownership of its shares.
The highest governing body at Suspilne, as UA:PBC was rebranded in 2022, is the Supervisory Board of the company. The Supervisory Board initially comprised 17 members, eight of whom represented all political groups in Parliament and nine of whom were proposed by civil society organizations. Subsequently, the composition of the board has been modified.
The board currently comprises 12 members, seven of whom were proposed by civil society organizations and five by the major political groups in Parliament. This governance formula (high representation of civil society groups and diverse political representation of parties both in power and opposition) is designed to guarantee the political independence of the broadcaster.
Source of funding and budget
In accordance with the Law on Public Television and Radio of 2014 (subsequently amended), UA:PBC was to be financed exclusively through state funds for a period of four years (2015-2018). Following the amendment of the law in 2018, UA:PBC was permitted to generate revenue independently through the sale of radio and television programs, licensing fees and the use of copyrights. However, the majority of UA:PBC’s budget has been financed through a state subsidy. Due to legal constraints, UA:PBC commenced broadcasting in 2017, a full three years after the law’s enactment.
The legislation also required the government to guarantee that UA:PBC would receive a minimum annual subsidy of 0.2% of the preceding year’s total central budget. This legal provision was designed to guarantee the financial stability of the station and limit the scope for government interference.
However, since its inception in 2017, UA:PBC has consistently fallen short of the minimum budgetary allotment prescribed by law. Each year, state authorities have enacted new legal provisions, citing emergencies and emerging priorities, which have allowed the government to reduce the UA:PBC budget.
In 2020, the state allocated a total of UAH 1.7bn (US$ 59.5m) to UA:PBC, which represented a reduction of approximately UAH 300m below the amount stipulated by law. The government allocation for 2020 represented nearly 95% of the broadcaster’s budget. Since the war in Ukraine began, there has been no change in the situation, with the majority of UA:PBC’s funding still coming from the government. However, the government increased its contribution. In 2021, UA:PBC received approximately UAH 1.87bn (US$ 63.1m) from the government, representing approximately 82% of the legal requirement, according to data collected by IREX.
In 2024, Suspilne, as UA:PBC was rebranded in 2022, had a budget of UAH 1.85bn (US$ 50m), according to media reports.
Editorial independence
The reorganization of the state media in Ukraine that led to the establishment of UA:PBC in 2014 was driven by the objective of creating an independent broadcaster capable of fulfilling a public service mission. Consequently, editorial independence was established as a core principle of the newly created broadcaster. A comprehensive set of guidelines and provisions have been established to guarantee this independence (see below).
Despite the aforementioned guarantees, UA:PBC has not been immune to criticism from politicians and state authorities, many of whom have expressed reservations about the station’s complete independence. Nevertheless, the station has thus far been able to withstand the majority of these challenges and maintain its editorial independence. For instance, legal measures that sought to mandate UA:PBC’s inclusion of local politicians in broadcasts were successfully challenged until their repeal. The dismissal of UA:PBC CEO Zurab Alasania in 2019 was overturned in court, and he resumed his role at the helm of the station. Alasania, a prominent political journalist, was reinstated following the reversal of the board’s decision. Furthermore, the broadcaster has been home to some of the most critical journalistic programs in Ukraine.
In light of the aforementioned considerations, it is reasonable to conclude that UA:PBC currently operates as an editorially independent media entity, particularly in the context of the ongoing Ukrainian conflict. Although political pressures on Suspilne, as UA:PBC was rebranded in 2022, intensified during the war, the broadcaster is known to push back and defend its editorial independence, gathering support from the local journalistic community.
Suspilne is subject to a number of legal provisions designed to safeguard its editorial independence. These appear to have been largely effective thus far. One such document is the Law on Public Television and Radio, which explicitly prohibits external entities from interfering with the editorial independence of the station. Furthermore, it stipulates that the broadcaster is not obliged to cover state officials and authorities. In 2018, the broadcaster adopted its own Editorial Charter, which outlines a series of editorial rules designed to guarantee high-quality, independent editorial coverage.
The Law on Public Television and Radio established the Editorial Board of Suspilne, a body responsible for independently evaluating the station’s editorial performance and providing recommendations to management for improvements. The board is comprised of 15 members, appointed as follows: five by the Suspilne’s Supervisory Board, five by the company’s editorial team, and five by the editorial boards of all the regional broadcasters run by Suspilne. This system ensures pluralism and diversity.
September 2024