Hot Off the Press: Building Regional Print Media in Armenia
Gyumri Shrjapat staff
There are currently approximately fifty regional print media outlets in Armenia. However, in some areas journalists frequently self-censor, print media distribution is limited, newspaper outlets rely on outside sources of funding, print media content is frequently controlled by political parties and wealthy individuals or there are no daily local newspapers at all.
In July 2006, Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF) launched a two-year program to strengthen the operational capacities and sustainability of regional print media outlets in Armenia. The Foundation provided support to 28 regional print media outlets by improving staff professional skills, enhancing their financial sustainability and linking them with newspaper distribution networks. Furthermore, six media outlets that demonstrated a commitment to reform and quality improvement, and whose business development plans were considered to be sustainable, received additional assistance.
Gyumri Shrjapat weekly is one of the outstanding success stories of the program. EPF provided a one-year grant, along with capacity building and technical assistance to the organization. During the course of the grant, readership of the newspaper significantly increased, the print run increased from 3,200 to 4,000 copies, an interactive website was developed and the design and content of the newspaper was greatly improved.
Shrjapat has also succeeded in creating a sustainable business model. Currently, the newspaper maintains a network of the most sought after journalists in Gyumri, has diversified its funding base and generates the majority of its income from retail sales, advertisements and classified ads. Indeed, Shrjapat can be considered one of the rare cases of independent regional media in Armenia.
