Kutaisi Media Joy and Sorrow

“I don’t read newspapers but I do fancy Rioni,” a 70-year taxi driver from Kutaisi told me ironically.

Rioni is a regional TV and for 17 years now it has been broadcasting in West Georgia, in particular Imereti, Guria and Poti.

We are the first independent broadcaster in Georgia. We can prove it, documents can be provided as well as a proof,” said Giga Kapetivadze, head of Rioni TV technical and production team.

Kapetivadze considers that from among 15 authorship programmes the public-political talk show being aired from the VIP studio (the inscription on the signboard at the studio entrance) every evening enjoys top popularity.

“The TV rating is easy to figure out through the activity of the audience, we don’t want to spend money on opinion polls,” Kapetivadze added.

The main source of income for Rioni TV is advertising. Since 1999 the television has taken part in a number of grant competitions. Kapetivadze finds no need for fund raising.

“TVs and newspapers are biased to the ones paying them money,” news agent Inga told me.

The interest towards politics is high in Kutaisi but many, like Inga, are skeptical to the central and local media outlets.

In May 2009 the play Money and Prayer was staged at the Kutaisi Drama Theatre.

The performance reflects a current reality of Georgian media. The shots shown on the screen installed on the stage feature the players in different situations, simultaneously four actors read poems. “Through the play we wanted to show two different realities - one on TV and another one in real life,” said Vako Natsvlishvili,  the co-author and participant of the play.

“It’s a commercial secret,” these words, based on my observation, are often heard at the local  editorial offices as soon as the dialogue floats to the circulation. The P.C. and the Imereti Moambe circulations is a commercial secret too.

According to Eka Bobokhidze, manager of another independent edition Akhali Gazeti the circulation as well as the income from advertising has decreased since August 2008.

The Akhali Gazeti editorial house is located in two small rooms, the journalists use only three PCs. A 12-page newspaper covers public-political topics. The edition, with the circulation of 2,500 is being disseminated in Kutaisi and adjacent regions.

Bobokhidze considers that blocking public information is the main reason for the complicated relation with the local authorities.

“They wouldn’t take liberties to block us any type of information,” David Kldiashvili, the Imereti Moambe editor said.

The 12-page Imereti Moambe costs 50 Georgian Tetri. The newspaper used to come out once per week. Nowadays the periodicity has been disrupted. The newspaper was founded in 1995 by former Kutaisi governor Temur Shashiashvili.

“Temur used to be a motivation to many journalists, the journalists’ team was so huge in Kutaisi like nowhere in the region, just because the region was then alive,” recollected Zeinab Khachidze, Temur Shashiashvili’s press secretary incumbent head of administrative service of Imereti governor’s administration.

I have listened to diverse stories regarding the sources of funding for independent newspapers and televisions. According to the Kutaisi city hall representatives last year Rioni and the Imereti Moambe were transferred GEL 26,00 and GEL 11,00 respectively from the local budget. In return the Sakrebulo sittings were aired live through Rioni TV, and the newspaper published tender and other announcements by self government bodies. TV and newspaper staff refuted the fact.

“Local authorities haven’t transferred such an amount. We allocate air space to anyone paying for the TV time,” Giga Kapetivadze said.

The slogan of the independent weekly newspaper P.S. reads as follows: “My fountain pen, my dear we need no applauds.” The P.S. is being disseminated among the subscribers across the region and  Tbilisi. The newspaper cover is colored. The 12-page newspaper costs 70 Georgian Tetri.

For the development of the distribution network the editorial staff obtained a grant from the Open Society Georgia. The implementation of the project is to kickstart in the near future.

“We are planning changes, we would like to attract young leaders. According to the inner survey the population shows less interest towards politics,” Nato Gubeladze, the newspaper manager reported. The P.S. articles are being written by four special correspondents in Tbilisi.

In 2008 the editorial office drew up its own Code of Ethics.

The editorial office, consisting of nine rooms,  is located at the Press House. The offices of three independent radios are located in the same building.

The radio Dzveli Kalaki covers Imereti and part of Samegrelo. In addition to news and musical programmes a special pubic-political programme is being produced at the radio.

Kutaisi wired radio has been on for 59 years now. It broadcasts on weekdays, for a few hours during the daytime.

Tetri Radio was launched few months ago and broadcasts music hits.