Supporting UA:PBC, the national public broadcaster of Ukraine, so that it can continue producing high-quality programmes

The war in Ukraine that was started by Russia on 24 February 2022 rages on and the media sector continues to suffer immensely, either as a result of targeted attacks on its reports on the situation or through an unprecedented decline in revenue. The situation at UA:PBC is no different; while its teams were initially relocated to secure premises, the programmes it produces were also affected.

Thanks to the MediaFit project, which is being financed by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the Deutsche Welle Akademie (DWA) in partnership with CFI and Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), the broadcaster has received a grant of nearly €145,000.
This grant will be used to finance four audiovisual projects carried out by independent Ukrainian producers:
- reports on the situation that Ukrainian society is currently facing and on how Ukrainians are adapting and upending their lives without hesitation;
- documentaries showing a day in the life of the Ukrainian emergency services in various regions of the country;
- explanatory videos using interviews to describe how Ukrainians now live and what their new reality looks like;
- comedic sketches made up of short stories on Russian propaganda, which aim to keep people laughing and combat misinformation.

These producers will be selected via a call for projects. Those chosen will have six months to produce the reports, which will be broadcast on regional channels and UA:PBC’s national channel and made available on UA:PBC’s website.

The support offered will cover more than just audiovisual projects. MediaFit will continue to support UA:PBC in the months to come by offering a capacity-building programme that will help the Ukrainian national public broadcaster to become a major player in European audiovisual production.