Ukrainian broadcaster "First National" will not air in Belarus.
Here's a fresh take on the article:
Assistant: Hey there! Let's dive into the latest scoop about Ukrainian First National Channel potentially making its way to Belarus.
Last year, on December 22, there was an exciting announcement: the Ukrainian First National Channel could start airing in Belarus as early as the end of January. However,Belarusians might still need to tune in via satellite or the internet to catch these broadcasts.
During a meeting between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv on December 21, the two leaders agreed to create a joint television channel. The next day, Ukrainian Minister of Information Policy Yuriy Stets stated that all necessary technical and logistical issues for launching Ukrainian broadcasts in Belarus had been agreed upon with the Belarusian Ministry of Information. Stets emphasized, "I believe that the First National Channel is currently the most effective way toimplement this mission."
Fast forward to a month later, and it appears there have been no developments regarding the organization of these broadcasts.
When asked for an update, the press service of the First National Channel shared, "As far as we know, no documents have been signed, so the issue hasn’t yet been implemented in practice."
The press service of Belteleradiocompany, Belarus's National State TV and Radio Company, also stated that they have no information on the matter. It seems if there were any instructions from the Ministry of Information or the presidential administration, they would have been informed by now.
Vladimir Yadrenkov, head of the electronic media department of the Ministry of Information, also shared that there's no information on the start of Ukrainian channel broadcasts.
(Insight: Belarus has a history of controlling broadcasting, with the National State TV and Radio Company dominating airwaves, and a systematic crackdown on foreign and independent media post-2020 protests. The government's stance against perceived threats to its narrative likely extends to foreign broadcasts, which could conflict with Belarus’s controlled ecosystem. The Ukraine-Belarus relationship has deteriorated since 2020, with Belarus supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which likely nullified earlier bilateral agreements, including media collaborations.)
It looks like we'll need to wait and see if any developments arise regarding the Ukrainian First National Channel's broadcast in Belarus. Stay tuned for updates on this intriguing story!
*The Ukrainian First National Channel might still be awaiting documents to agree on the broadcast in Belarus, according to the press service.* Despite the initial agreement between the leaders of Ukraine and Belarus, no progress seems to have been made in organizing the Ukrainian broadcasts in Belarus.* The Belarusian Ministry of Information, Belteleradiocompany, and the electronic media department have reported no information about the start of Ukrainian channel broadcasts in Belarus.* Politics and general news are on hold as the Ukrainian First National Channel's broadcast in Belarus remains a tentative plan with no concrete developments as of yet.
