Media support. National media: priorities have been set, state support will be provided Rospechat socially significant projects

22.02.2024

The media is, first of all, a business, and state support for the media is not at all “saving a drowning person,” says Deputy Minister of Digital Development of Communications and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation Alexey Volin. The expert spoke about government support measures for the media, how to get a grant and about those publications that exist exclusively on budget funds, PrimaMedia news agency reports.

“Any measures of state support will be ineffective if the media is uninteresting and uncompetitive. Otherwise, by supporting ineffective market participants, we will come to the point that the entire market will suffer,” Alexey Volin began the seminar.

He noted that the meeting is not being sold out, which is gratifying - it means that the media does not need government support, and, therefore, this business is firmly on its feet.

The Deputy Minister of Communications of the Russian Federation named grants as the first measure of state support, when money is received by one or those media outlets that have passed a competitive selection. When distributing funds through this line, the emphasis is on socially oriented topics and sometimes on patriotic projects. Alexey Volin voiced the opinion of the ministry - patriotic projects do not often fall under the conditions of grants, since there is no need to pay for patriotism. He gave an example from cinema, which can easily be applied to the prism of the media - not a single film in which anti-state ideas are voiced has ever become a box office hit in history.

Alexey Volin spoke about government support measures for the work of journalists. Photo: Alexander Ratnikov, PrimaMedia news agency

“Government support means assistance to the media, the creation of comfortable working conditions, funds for its development, and not means of its livelihood. The exception is publications for the blind - this is a completely non-commercial story. Such media are published exclusively with budget funds.

Another area of responsibility of the state is subtitling. Now in production there are 14 thousand hours of closed subtitling, that is, when the viewer himself chooses whether to watch a program or film with or without subtitles. Starting from 2020, all TV channels will be required to show programs with subtitles for an hour a day. We understand that this may be prohibitively expensive for the regions, so by this time a library of content with subtitles will be created by federal channels, with the help of which the regions will cover part of these costs,” said Alexey Volin.

The system of preferential subscription through Russian Post was also an interesting measure of state support for those present at the seminar, since the majority had already tried it in practice.

“I am sure that everyone present is also familiar with regional contracts for information support. But we must understand that this money is not for covering the activities of the administration. Fortunately, most governors realize that it is criminal to pay for this, because the administrations themselves are excellent newsmakers. "Otherwise, the question arises: why keep a whole press service staff. At the same time, there are a number of socially significant topics that need to be covered. It is these topics that should fall under the terms of such contracts," the speaker emphasized.

Deputy Minister of Communications of the Russian Federation Alexey Volin. Photo: Alexander Ratnikov, PrimaMedia news agency

Alexey Volin spoke about government support measures for the work of journalists. Photo: Alexander Ratnikov, PrimaMedia news agency

An important layer of the state’s work is the educational work of journalists. Today, according to Alexey Konstantinovich, a comprehensive understanding of the work of a media professional is necessary: it is necessary to tell a story in an interesting way, and have technical knowledge: be able to take photos and videos, layout, and sometimes program. At the same time, not a single university can prepare a journalist 100% fit to work in an editorial office, if only because each editorial office has different requirements for this very work.

“Here we are talking about such forums as the Media Summit, where journalists have the opportunity to gain experience from the best in the profession, and about the Bastion courses, during which journalists are prepared to work in emergency situations. By the way, the Rospechat Bastion project has become very in demand both in Russia and abroad. Our foreign colleagues often ask us for the opportunity to take part in unique courses," commented the Deputy Minister.

Alexey Volin added that government assistance is often expressed not so much in monetary terms, but in making important decisions. For example, in the media's entry into foreign markets or in the struggle to expand the advertising capabilities of the media and increase advertising space.

The main event of the media industry in the Far East - the Far Eastern Media Summit-2018 was held in Vladivostok on June 6-7. Traditionally, the venue for the forum was the FEFU campus on Russky Island. The organizers prepared more than 100 sections for participants with the participation of top federal experts. The Media Summit program is traditionally divided into several areas: sections for print and online media, a section for television and radio journalism, and a section for press service employees. Training master classes were held both in traditional areas: legal support for the activities of a journalist, management and marketing of media projects, multimedia journalism, and in new, rapidly developing areas: SMM, digital, IT technologies. More than 6,000 people took part in the event.

The organizers of the Far Eastern Media Summit-2018 were the Office of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District, the Ministry for the Development of the Far East, the Far East Agency for Attracting Investments and Supporting Exports, the Union of Journalists of Russia, the Administration of the Primorsky Territory, the Far Eastern Federal University, the project "Media School: Far Eastern Reporter". The general partner of the forum is RusHydro.

The Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications issued Order No. 497 dated December 18, 2017 “On organizing work to provide state support to organizations producing, distributing and reproducing socially significant projects in the field of print media, publishing publications for people with disabilities and people with disabilities vision in 2018."

ATTENTION! Taking into account the experience of working with regional and local media in 2017, and the large number of incoming applications, we recommend that REGIONAL AND LOCAL media submit applications at the beginning of the year (January-February).

DEADLINE for accepting applications for state support in the field of print media in 2018 is until MAY 31, 2018.

ALL APPLICATIONS FROM THE SAME LEGAL ENTITY MUST BE SUBMITTED AT THE SAME TIME, in one package ALONG WITH A SUBSTANTIVE REPORT AND FINANCIAL REPORT on the intended use of budget funds received in 2017.
WITHOUT REPORTS FOR THE USE OF SUBSIDIES RECEIVED IN 2017, APPLICATIONS IN 2018 WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

The priority right to receive state support is organizations that produce media distributed on the territory of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation and/or a municipality, as well as those that produce children's, youth, literary, artistic, cultural, educational, and popular science media.

In accordance with the order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated October 31, 2016 No. 199n, the agreement on the provision of subsidies from the federal budget with organizations in the field of print media (hereinafter referred to as the agreement) will be formed in the form of an electronic document, and will also be signed with enhanced qualified electronic signatures of persons having the right to act on behalf of each of the parties to the agreement in the state integrated information system for public finance management “Electronic Budget”.

In accordance with Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated September 6, 2016 No. 887(subparagraph “e” of paragraph 4 of the General requirements for regulatory legal acts, municipal legal acts governing the provision of subsidies to legal entities (with the exception of subsidies to state (municipal) institutions), individual entrepreneurs, as well as individuals - producers of goods, works and services) Requirements that recipients of subsidies must meet:

recipients of subsidies must have no debt on taxes, fees and other obligatory payments to the budgets of the budget system of the Russian Federation, the deadline for which has come in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation;
recipients of subsidies must have no overdue debt to return subsidies, budget investments, including those provided in accordance with other legal acts, to the corresponding budget of the budget system of the Russian Federation, and other overdue debt to the corresponding budget of the budget system of the Russian Federation;
recipients of subsidies should not be in the process of reorganization, liquidation, bankruptcy and should not have restrictions on carrying out economic activities;
recipients of subsidies should not be foreign legal entities, as well as Russian legal entities, in the authorized (share) capital of which there is a share of participation of foreign legal entities, the place of registration of which is a state or territory included in the list of states and territories providing preferential benefits approved by the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation the tax regime of taxation and (or) not providing for the disclosure and provision of information when conducting financial transactions (offshore zones) in relation to such legal entities, in total exceeds 50 percent;
recipients of subsidies should not receive funds from the relevant budget of the budget system of the Russian Federation in accordance with other regulatory legal acts, municipal legal acts for the purposes specified in the Rules for the provision of subsidies from the Federal budget to organizations in the field of press, approved by order of the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications dated February 12, 2014 No. 23 and the agreement on the provision of subsidies from the federal budget.

LIST OF DOCUMENTS, SOCIALLY SIGNIFICANT PROJECTS in the field of print media:

application - in 2 copies;
certified copy of the Charter of the legal entity;
a written description of a socially significant project signed by the editor - in 1 copy;
calculation of income and expenses for the implementation of a socially significant project - in 2 copies;
cost estimate for the implementation of a socially significant project - in 3 copies;
certified copies of the balance sheet and financial results statement or documents of the applicant applying the simplified taxation system for the previous year;
latest edition number (in 2 copies);
extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities;

ATTENTION! REGIONAL AND LOCAL media additionally provide a certificate of the amount of their own (regional information) in the publication.

LIST OF DOCUMENTS, necessary to obtain government support for organizations producing, distributing and reproducing PUBLICATIONS FOR THE DISABLED AND VISUALLY DISABLED:

application - 1 copy;
a copy of the Charter of the legal entity certified by the applicant;
estimate of income and expenses for the publication of publications for the disabled and visually impaired in 1 copy;
documents confirming the subscription circulation of the publication for the first and second half of the current year;
documents confirming the average circulation of the publication for the first and second half of the current year;
copies of the balance sheet certified by the applicant (form 0710001 according to OKUD) and the Profit and Loss Statement (form 0710002 according to OKUD) or documents of the applicant applying the simplified taxation system for the previous period with a mark from the tax inspectorate;
the latest number of the publication (for publications for the disabled in 2 copies; for publications for the visually impaired - in 1 copy);
a copy of the mass media registration certificate;
extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.

ATTENTION Since 2018, Agreements with all organizations - winners of the selection, including non-profit organizations (ANO, NP, Foundations, Associations, etc.), will be concluded electronically in the “Budget Planning” subsystem of the “Electronic Budget” system. Organizations not connected to this system must submit to Rospechat (marked “for office No. 423”) an application for registration in the “Electronic Budget” system.
The technological instructions of the Russian Ministry of Finance for installing the “Electronic Budget” system are presented below. If problems arise when installing the system on editorial computers, you must contact the technical support of the “Electronic Budget” system (tel. 8-800-250-12-17).
(file Technological instructions for connecting to the “Electronic Budget” system)
(file Application form for connection to the “Electronic Budget” system)

Deputy Head of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation Alexey Volin spoke about the distribution of budget financial flows to support the media in 2019. He made a corresponding statement at a meeting of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications on October 9.

Today, state spending on the media amounts to about 110 billion rubles (70 billion from the federal budget and 40 billion from local budgets), while the lion's share of its expenses - 530 billion rubles - is generated by the media industry itself.

“That is, it turns out that the share of the federal budget in the media industry is only 11 percent. And if you subtract support for international broadcasting, then only 6 percent. Which obviously shows that the Russian media are in a normal market environment,” Alexey Volin, speaking at a meeting of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications, where the draft budget for 2019 and the planning period 2020-2021 were discussed.

According to Volin, the distribution of budget financial flows to support the media in 2019 is planned as follows. 40 percent is the financing of socially significant media projects - such as the Kultura TV channel and Public Russian Television, the Orpheus radio station, children's TV shows and programs in national languages, and finally local news inserts on VGTRK.

This also includes a subsidy from Rospechat to support regional media. Only 5.5 percent of total expenses are the maintenance of the TASS news agency and Rossiyskaya Gazeta as publishers of official acts. And another 40 percent of expenses is the maintenance of the media concerns Rossiya Segodnya and RussiaToday. “This is conveying the Russian point of view to a foreign audience. There is no need to talk about the importance of this work in today’s emerging international conditions,” commented the deputy head of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications on the last figure.

In total, the draft federal budget for 2019 in terms of the media is 11 billion rubles less than the actual budget expenditures for these purposes in the current 2018 - 71.1 billion rubles versus 82.5 billion rubles.

According to Alexey Volin, this is due to the transition of domestic television to digital. Firstly, from January 1, 2019, the state will stop the annual subsidy in the amount of 8.52 billion rubles for the distribution of analogue television signals to settlements with a population of less than 100 thousand people. VGTRK's expenses associated with the transition of regional companies to digital broadcasting will be reduced by another 4.5 billion.

The topic of state support for regional print media attracted particular attention from the deputies. According to the head of the committee, Leonid Levin, next year 472 million rubles will be allocated for these purposes, and another 80 million will be financed by federal printed publications.

“Total support for the printed press is 556 million rubles. Let me remind you that over the past three years we have added support for regional print media only in the second reading of the budget bill: at an earlier stage they were not included. In fact, for the first time an important victory was won when already in the first reading it was possible to allocate money to support regional media,” the parliamentarian emphasized.

The draft budget for 2019 includes support for regional print publications and a reduction in funding for analogue television broadcasting in favor of digital.