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THE GLOBAL NETWORK LE RÉSEAU GLOBAL NO. 13 PUB L I S H I N G DIR E C T O R / DI R E C T E U RD EL AP U B L I C A T I O N Mihai Coman ([email protected]) EDITOR / R EDACTEUR EN CHEF George Popescu ([email protected]) ADVISORY BOARD / COMITÉE DE LECTURE COVER ILLUSTRATION Jean-Pierre Bacot France “FINENESS ” Claude Jean Bertrand France MARIA GERGOVA Peter Gross US Kent Middleton US Pierre Mory Belgium Todor Petev Bulgaria DESIGN Walery Pisarek Poland Oscar Stanciulescu Zoltan Rostas Romania Slavko Splichal Slovenia LAYOUT Kenneth Starck US George Popescu Gina Stoiciu Canada PRICE / P RIX 3 issues per year Europe & Outside / Europe et outre Europe Cost per issue: 70 FRF or 15 USD Distributed by TEKHNE / Distribuée par TEKHNE Checks should be payable to / Chèques doivent être payés à: Mrs / Mme Caroline de Peyster TEKHNE Library, 7 rue des Carmes Paris CEDEX 75005, FRANCE For additional information concerning the distribution, you can contact Mrs. Caroline de Peyster at tel: + 33 1 43 54 70 84 or fax: + 33 1 44 07 07 39. ISSN 1223-5199 Contents / Sommaire EDITORIAL Lilia Raycheva, Todor Petev Mass Media System in Bulgaria 5 ARTICLES Lilia Raycheva, Todor Petev The Transformations Processes in the Mass Media System in Bulgaria (1989-1999) 7 Todor Petev Transformations of the Bulgarian Press 17 Lilia Raycheva The Dynamics of the Electronic Mass Media System in Bulgaria (1989-1999) 37 Kamen Kamenov Advertising in Bulgaria - On the Edge of Optimism 57 Teodora Petrova A Brief Look at the digital changes in the media Field and the Development of the Web Pages in Bulgaria 71 Vessela Tabakova The Media - the Possible, yet Unrealized Anti Corruption Instrument 89 The Global Network / Le reseau global 5 EDITORIAL EDITORIAL Mass Media System in Bulgaria BY LILIA RAYCHEVA , TODOR PETEV he articles in this emergence of a pluralis- volume reflect tic press, radio and Tt r a n s f o r m a t i o n s television system; that have taken place in the Bulgarian mass 2. In legal terms, libe- media landscape for a ralization and deregu- ten-year period. Since lation of the mass 1989 alongside with the media system, corre- basic political, economic sponding to the and social changes in European patterns; the country, profound shifts have taken place 3. In economic terms, in print and electronic mass media market me d i a . development in a high- ly competitive environ- Several main processes ment at local, national in the media system and global level with during the transition growing impact of period in Bulgaria can advertising industry; be discerned: LILIA RAYCHEVA 4. In social terms, and TODOR PETEV 1. In political terms, demassification and are professors at the decentralization of the fragmentation of the St. Kliment Ohridsky mass media system publics accompanied by University of Sofia, accompanied by the higher selectivity stan- Bulgaria 6 The Global Network / Le reseau global dards and social feedback; 5. In professional terms, depar- ture from former corporate media standards and introduc- tion of new formats, styles and liberal journalistic ethics; 6. In technological terms, revo- lutionary advent of new media incorporating national media to the global superhighways. The newly established commu- nication landscape demon- strates open challenges to the mass media developments in highly competitive environment. q The Global Network / Le reseau global 7 ARTICLES ARTICLES The Transformations Processes in the Mass Media System in Bulgaria (1989-1999) BY LILIA RAYCHEVA , TODOR PETEV he mass media sys- demonstrated during the tem in Bulgaria telecasts of the Romanian T underwent dramat- Revolution in December ic changes along with the 1989. Then the Second profound social, political Channel of the Bulgarian and economic transforma- Television canceled its tions. In a short time, regular programming in without ideological con- order to extensively cover trol, the style and content the dramatic events in of the broadcast and print Bucharest and Timisoara. media departed from the former standards. The Grand National Political pluralism Assembly adopted a new brought along the estab- Constitution on July 12, lishment of new party 1991. It was the first periodicals. In 1990, polit- democratic constitution in ical campaigning boomed, the former Eastern Bloc bringing with it political countries. It proclaimed advertising in the media. that Bulgaria would be While campaigning in governed by the rule of newspapers was not con- law and set up the funda- trolled, the Parliamentary mental civil society. Commission for Radio and Zhelyu Zhelev, the leader Television set rigid guide- of the Union of the lines for the electronic Democratic Forces LILIA RAYCHEVA me d i a . and a strong- and TODOR PETEV are professors at the minded dissident, St. Kliment Ohridsky The power of live televi- was elected University of Sofia, sion broadcasting was President by the Bulgaria 8 The Global Network / Le reseau global National Assembly on August 1st , The fierce crossfire was flared 1991. Political advertising and in the print media, which con- strong press and radio involve- tinued to lose public credibility. ment influenced the final choice of the incumbents. The The mass media, among all the public opinion agency, SIGMA, institutions in the country, pro- conducted a survey in 1990 to moted the transformation to determine how viewers democracy in the most pro- assessed the televised political found way. In Sofia the spirit of campaigning. Ten days prior to the changes was felt at the the first round and ten days open meetings and rallies. In after the second round of the outlying areas the changes advertising, it asked, “Which were felt chiefly because of tele- political power did best on the vision coverage. The organizers TV screen? The answers were of protest rallies in support of 39 percent and 33.5 percent for change made sure they Bulgarian Socialist Party com- marched past TV headquar- pared to 19.6 and 24.7 percent ters. The media found them- for UDF and 13.9 percent and selves fulfilling the dual func- 15.8 percent for the Bulgarian tion of transmitters and cata- Agricultural People’s Union. lysts of political change. SIGMA also attempted to Journalists, just as politicians, assess the mass media credibil- were not ready to undertake ity. National Television gained their new functions and top ratings before and after the responsibilities. The emerging elections. The respective data principles and styles of journal- were 59.6 and 38.5 percent for ism were created ad hoc. television, 44.7 and 36.3 per- Turbulent events forced jour- cent for the BSP press, 31 and nalists to learn and master 33.8 percent for National Radio their new roles by groping for and 24.5 and 27.2 percent for free expression while balancing the UDF press. The high credi- personal risk. They were on a bility of television after the quest for free and significant elections slid by about 20 per- expression, public control over centage points. This dramatic state institutions of authority. drop followed the audience’s It turned to be an open chal- rejection of the over-politicized lenge to the responsibilities of pr o g r a m s . 1 the Fourth Estate mission in a transforming society. In the following election cam- paigns, the electronic media Prior to the dramatic changes managed to be more balanced. in 1989, the Bulgarian mass The Global Network / Le reseau global 9 media system was centralized, examples and patterns of state-owned and subordinated transformation. to the priorities of the Party- State system. The processes of Print Media decentralization, liberalization and privatization began spon- he political, economic and taneously. Along with the over- T ideological heralds of the all economic and political crisis various political parties of the time, the mass media engaged pretty soon in a news- “revolution” developed on a paper war. Partisanship in pur- practical, trial-and-error basis, suit of daily stories segmented rather than on a legal basis. audience reach. Thus, the The government was no longer process resulted in a steady able to strictly control the shrinking of newspaper reader- media: in the ensuing chaos, ship. The former political “gate- the press was the first to gain keeper” seemed to have been total deregulation. It initiated quietly replaced by new eco- the beginnings of a free mar- nomic conductors trying to lay ke t . down the tempo and harmony for an orchestra of perplexed Political pluralism fostered the professionals. emergence of a multi-party press. Different parties estab- The result of these collective lished their own periodicals control patterns was ambigu- giving rise to a new, politically ous. Inside, editorial board ten- affiliated, journalism. sions at covering top-priority events exceeded the range of The spirit of pluralism in the journalistic self-control; the mass media and the under- broader public was often fed standing that the importance of tailored information and biased each medium was bound to its interpretations. It breached the contribution to social change freedom of journalistic expres- became a pragmatic guideline sion. for survival and development. Another perplexing phenome- Audience expectations urged non was that people began to journalists to assume the role perceive and assess the of heralds of political, economic, processes of change via media cultural, and social change. models. Without being held Striving to keep up with audi- politically or socially responsi- ence expectations and commit- ble, the mass media actually ment to social change impelled shaped the dynamics of public the mass media to generate social and political space; its 10 The Global Network / Le reseau global nurtured pluralism occasional- catering to audience expecta- ly resembled a labyrinth of one- tions and needs rather to nar- way streets.