Channel to power

What media are for presidential candidates

Ukraine: Battle for the votes. The leader of the election campaign in Ukraine remains Viktor Yanukovych, who is ahead of his main competitor Yulia Tymoshenko both in the first and hypothetically in the second rounds. However, the fact that it is he who will take the main prize in the elections in January is by no means a fact. The intensity of the struggle is growing every day. And this is especially noticeable on television programs. Who supports the Ukrainian Blue Screen - versed The New Times
In Ukraine, there are 14 nationwide channels (with cable - more than 60), of which only one - the first national one belongs to the state. Each television channel has its own history of loyalty or opposing a particular party or its leader. Each of them belongs to one or another influential businessman related to various obligations with politicians, including presidential candidates. Nevertheless, in the current presidential campaign there is one fundamental difference from all previous ones: none of the owners of television channels is opened to the open support of one candidate. This is not that everyone is praised, but rather that they try not to scold anyone. The information dominant is preserved: they talk more about someone and more thoroughly, they mention someone in passing and without details, some are invited to political talk shows as headliners, and others-experts on folding chairs. Various degree of support for politicians by television channels is obvious not only for informed experts, but also for ordinary citizens (see table on page 43). At the same time, the presence on the air of representatives of all three leading politicians claiming the presidential chair is the law.

Victor Yanukovych
The leader of the "Party of Regions", the unspoken leader of the industrial East and the pro -Russian part of Ukraine, is in the most favorable media conditions. Obviously, Yanukovych “for” two influential channels are: “Inter” and “TRC Ukraine”. The channel "Inter" is the largest in the country, it is watched in all cities and villages. In recent years, the Inter has traditionally seen the figure of the notorious businessman Dmitry Firtash (co -owner of Rosucranergo) in Russia. Not so long ago, Firtash’s influence on the channel decreased markedly, Inter began to be controlled by its main owner Valery Khoroskovsky, who, in combination, holding the post of deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine. The channel changed the editorial policy and invited Evgenia Kiselev to conduct the main talk show-“Big Politics”. Inter has ceased to be a frank channel for Yanukovych. There are now stories about the prime minister in the news, and Tymoshenko herself appeared in the Kiselev program on October 23 and answered the questions of journalists for two hours. In a word, the ban on the main lady of Ukrainian policy on Inter, apparently, was lifted. But the lack of a ban does not mean sympathy at all. The channel is still cool to the premiere.

The second serious media activity, whose service is the headquarters of Yanukovych, is the Ukraina channel, owned by the chief sponsor of the Party of Regions, billionaire Rinat Akhmetov. On this channel, Yanukovych is present in all hypostases: candidate, leader, future president and savior, husband and father. Here comes out the second according to the rating and significance of the current show in the country-Schusterlive with Savik Schuster, who once conducted the “Freedom of Speech” program in Russia. Schuster remained faithful to himself: the whole range of Ukrainian politicians is presented in his program, and sometimes it goes a few hours.

Yulia Tymoshenko

To ignore the prime minister’s television attention-a policy of incredibly active, endlessly appearing in one or another region of the country, no television channel can afford. However, Tymoshenko can record only two channels in his asset. This is “1+1”, owned by businessman Igor Kolomoisky, and “5 channel” Petro Poroshenko. At the same time, Tymoshenko’s both has a very difficult relationship. Countryman Tymoshenko - a native of Dnepropetrovsk, Igor Kolomoisky, has repeatedly become an object of premiere anger. The last conflict between them occurred in September. The reason was a scandalous transaction for the sale of the Odessa port plant (OPZ), during which the prime minister, as best, prevented the businessman from acquiring a profitable asset. The conflict has not yet been exhausted, but “1+1” has not changed its positive attitude to the prime minister. The reasons can only be guessed. With the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Peter Poroshenko, Yulia Tymoshenko, everything is much more complicated. At one time, she accused him of corruption, sought Poroshenko’s departure from public policy. Times have changed. Two weeks ago, the BET faction (Blok Yulia Tymoshenko) supported the candidacy of Petro Poroshenko for the post of head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Channel 5” broadcast on the air of the Batkivshchyna Congress, at which Tymoshenko was nominated to the presidency. The congress took place on the Maidan in a pop show format in front of 200 thousand spectators gathered on the main square of Ukraine.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk

The 35-year-old former speaker of the Rada, and now simply her deputy is clearly inferior to the leaders of the race. Nevertheless, the Yatsenyuk factor in Ukraine has to take into account, including the owners of media assets. It is with Yatsenyuk that recent changes are associated in the politics of the main channel of Ukraine - “Inter”. Allegedly, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who used the support of influential managers of Inter, tried to persuade the editorial policy in his favor. As a result, the managers were fired, and Yatsenyuk on the main button, although they do not forget, but they don’t particularly complain. As they complain, surrounded by the candidate: "Ignor on the Inter." At the same time, the headquarters of Yatsenyuk admit that the positive coverage of the activities of their leader is provided by STB channels, the “new” and ICTV - all three are included in the media imperial of one of the richest Ukrainians Viktor Pinchuk, the son -in -law of the former president of Leonid Kuchma. However, the channels belonging to Pinchuk are quite balanced to both Yanukovych and Tymoshenko. It is impossible to reproach them with bias in relation to someone.

Caution balance

Nevertheless, it is not worth overestimating the meaning of the “box” in the Ukrainian presidential race. The main competitors are defined - Yulia Tymoshenko and Viktor Yanukovych, and both media attention are not offended. The situation that has developed on Ukrainian television resembles the battered expression “Store eggs in different baskets” - this is how the editor -in -chief of the website www.telekritika.ua Natalya Ligacheva commented in an interview with The New Times. According to Ligacheva, the information balance is evidence of the caution of the Ukrainian oligarchs - the owners of the channels. Businessmen try not to get involved in the support of one candidate: what if Fortune will turn away from him at the finish? As a result, candidates of the second echelon will win (9 of them have been registered): playing the role of either the corps de ballet with the main characters, then “Surprises from the Subber”, then unexpected and not indicated in the program of numbers, they also gained access to the country's main television sites.