MM - it is a business. And the principal factor of any business is equal condition for all its subjects. Equality of conditions for mass media means that the latters should live complying with the laws of market economy. As for state MM they should follow the same laws just as all others. Of course, the government when having extra money has a right to subsidize its own MM. But as for as I know, there is not extra money in the state budget. Nonetheless enormous sums are spent to support numerous unprofitable editions. And now we observe quite an absurd picture - the market is overfilled with subsidized editions. By the way, not all of them belong to the state. It stands to reason that no one can forbid an owner to support its own MM. But we must comprehend that such a support ruins the market. To my strong conviction subsidies in this kind of business are of no need. Subsidized MM dump in all directions: they make advertising prices g down, they over-estimate wages, they bring disorder into the market. I understand that cancellation of subsidies will eventuate into heavy resistance, and, first of all, in the places remote from centers. But until subsidies are available there won't be a normal MM market in Tajikistan. And if this tendency holds long enough in due time there will be no normal mass media. Thereupon, as for clearing the space from statal MM, as some of our colleagues pronounce, I would formulate it somehow otherwise: it is necessary "to clear" it from subsidized MM. The key problem of today's MM as a business lies in the fact that the great bulks of mass media don't earn money but raise it. And as for the form of property, here it doesn't play any role on a big score.
According to the date of Sughd department under the journalists' Union of the republic today Northern Tajikistan musters 55 printed editions, 27 belong to the state, 28 are non -governmental, private and public; the total circulation being over 70 thousand copies. The whole spectrum of periodical editions on language specifications in the viloyat is presented as follows: 37 editions are published in Tajik, 6- in Uzbek and the rest ones - in Russian.
The future continued existence of traditional newspapers including the present ones of viloyat, urban and district scales in evidence by the following fact. In order to preserve their printed organs local Hukumats took necessary measures; reduction of periodicity in issuing newspapers being one of them. This forced measure resulted into the fact that dailies in Sughd viloyat ceased their existence completely. Quoting the employee of "Zarbdor" Zafarobod district newspaper Bakhtiyor Vohidov, all district newspapers need in modernization of printing-houses, fortification of logistic base and financial support. Otherwise there will rise a threat of their disappearance. He remarked, in particular, that just on that score in Zafarobod, Ganchi and Shahriston districts not only the volume of newspapers and their circulation had lessened but their periodicity had been prolonged either.
In recent besides viloyat and republican newspapers issued in multimillion circulation people in urban and rural areas of Northern Tajikistan, just as all over the republic, enjoyed the availability of having numerous central daily newspapers and magazines. In the 80-s, on average, every family got per 7-9 nominations of newspapers to say nothing of scientifico-popular, literary, socio-political magazines and journals on special branches. Today, both in remote areas and in more satisfactory towns - Khujand, Konibodom, Isfara, Istaravshan - the deficiency of printed mass media is perceived acutely. According to the data of "Pochtai Tojikiston" viloyat department for February 2003 the citizens of Sughd viloyat subscribed to 10183 district and urban, 8649 viloyat and 18790 republican newspapers. These figures prove once more a sharp reduction of readers and periodical press dissemination on the territory of the viloyat. For two million population of the viloyat this number of newspaper editions is scanty, of course. If indigent families can't afford such a "luxury" as subscription to periodicals because of life hardships, representatives of the middle layers don't do it being unsatisfied with poor contents and monotony of our newspapers and especially with their untimely delivery.
Among the viloyat, urban and district newspapers there is no one printed edition, which would cover its expenditures for 50% at least. Hence a steep drop of circulation and loss of authority among readers. We are not going to disparage the prestige of our colleagues in any way by it. But as they say, the dog is not buried there where we are searching for it. The matter is, our colleagues have today only out-of-date technique to say nothing about computerization and high technology. Low wages exacerbate the social plight of local journalists from day to day.
The analysis of MM publications in the northern region testifies to the endeavours of local journalists in being properly informed. But in distinction to independent newspapers state editions publish too much official information of local character. Such an approach is the main reason of these editions being non-competitive.
Extremely rare usage of such genre forms as essay and feuilleton can't being noticed. Articles and other materials widely spread before are not occurred in their pure kind either. They are substituted for the publications of vividly expressed informational slant with the evinced features of going away genres. Now analytical articles seldom appear on the pages of statal MM. Local newspapers may be losing their actuality just on that score. It is the fact, which once more induces to think over the existing problems related to professional skills of journalists and servile moods of our colleagues on the spots.
In the opinion of Negmatullo Jurayev, Candidate of Philology, the language and style of the periodical press in Northern Tajikistan need emendation. Against the background of implanted archaisms evinced in borrowed classical Arabic words and word-combinations in the editions published in the capital which are not always understandable for Sughd viloyat philologists the deviation from the norms of modern Tajik language is observed. Independent local TV and radio stations are especially fond of inserting dialectal words and expressions into their tele-and broadcasts. In additions, the construction of sentences often doesn't correspond to the norms of the Tajik language; this phenomenon often occurs in telecasts and newspaper articles. Publications of other sorts also have linguistic mistakes. It's high time pen-journalists focused their attention on the norms and correct style of modern Tajik. The importance of printed MM is very high today as they can exert much more influence upon people in comparison with imaginative literature, insomuch as the latter is read less and less due to the reasons all of us know about. Into the bargain, the thing, which troubles today, is the middle age of professional journalists in Sughd viloyat being in the range of 45-50.
"To our great regret, today's replenishment of our ranks at the cost of young specialists does not always satisfy us,"- remarks Dodojohn Egamzod. Though in Khujand State University there functions the faculty of journalism created on the initiative of Sughd viloyat governor Qosym Qosymov due to the dearth of qualified staff we don't manage yet to train young journalists of proper professional caliber. I deem, in order to avoid the errors admitted the leadership of the faculty ought to involve in the educational process scientists of a journalistic slant and professional journalists.
Otherwise the staffing of editorial boards of newspapers, magazines and electronic MM in the viloyat will be hanging for long. Due to the abovementioned drawbacks newspapers and magazines published in the region influence weakly the degree of population's informativity. Quoting the director of "Varorud" IAA Ilhom Jamolov, the majority of the residents in Northern Tajikistan being disappointed in printed mass media prefer electronic MM. Television and radio are for today more available, operative and influential sources of information than press, as newspapers are not always brought to remote areas and, upon the whole, poorly provided layers of population can't afford them. Though the drawbacks we dwelt on already are inherent both in electronic MM, still the latters inform their audience of local event, the transmitted videomaterials of other telechannels enable spectators to be aware of the situation in the republic and in the world.
In distinction to state editions independent newspapers such as "Varorud", "Sughd", "Pro…" (About…) have been extending the circle of their readers from day to day. Operative information of local and international character, analytical articles and modern designs have been more and more attracting readers' attention. Burning themes, controversies, employment of power resources, interethnical relations and social difficulties of our society are being more often elucidated on the pages of the newspapers in question. Such approach enables to go deeper into the informational market of Northern Tajikistan.
Nevertheless, the problems concerned with journalists' access to the sources of information remain open. The main penury of newspaper publications is accounted for by the hardships endured by our colleagues when they try to get the facts of crucial and out-of-the-rut slant. For the time being not all officials collaborate eagerly with the representatives of the organs even when the latters are under their own charge. In this issue the representatives of independent printed MM found themselves in a more complicated plight that their colleagues working in state editions. Despite certain creative progresses the non-availability of proper contact with official sources of information incapacitates independent journalists from operative elucidating the events taking place in the socio-economic and political life of the northern region.
Into the bargain, today's imperfection of the legislative base related to the activities of our mass media is of the utmost disturbance. In practice you constantly confront the aspects of MM work being legislatively non-elaborated. Now, for instance, there functions no bad law on MM. But it was adopted twelve years ago and therefore it has become out-of-date in its significant part not being in compliance with today's realias any more. The whole legislative base of the country has changed and the laws on MM go counter to other ones. In general, it needs principal renovation. But new laws whose actuality has been dictated by today's life as well must be adopted in reference to MM. Say, a law on demonopolization of MM. They have been speaking about it for several years already and its absence prevents normal development of MM in democratic society. One needs a law on economic independence of mass media. It is impossible to insure the real freedom of press without it.
One more sore problem impeding printed MM development in Tajikistan is a deplorable state of polygraphy. You can count on fingers the printing-houses applying offset method. In Sughd viloyat only two them pertain to this sort: the viloyat statal one and Istaravshan printing-house, which has turned recently into a joint stock company. Out of modern equipment other printing-houses may be "proud" of several "Romayor" printing presses, they can produce blank forms and newspapers of the smallest format and of the scantiest circulation. Quoting Sergey Tschemelinin, foreman of the polygraphy subdivision under "Vostokredmet" SE (state enterprise of rare metals of the Orient), the majority of printing-houses are peculiar museums of the press-history in the USSR. And really, this elevated press whose loftiness pertains to the gone away past hampers significantly the development of both publication production and press quality. And the thing, which puzzles is that nobody worried earnestly about a solid reorganization of polygraphy in the country. The documents adopted by the government in this direction after a number of weighty problematic publications in the same MM impose the responsibility for modernization of production upon the same leaders of printing-houses! But the state can't afford to invest resources into a creation of a modern polygraphic base. Perhaps, the only one credit in the history of sovereign Tajikistan was given out by the president of the country "Sharqi Ozod" ("Liberation of the Orient") publishing -house, but only for launching Tajik "Goznak" (State Administration for the Issue of Bank -Notes). One familiar leader being expressed in press and publishing affairs, but not wishing his name to be called, confessed that he had invited foreigners, convinced them of a profit one could gain if to invest resources into the polygraphy of Sughd viloyat located in the intersection of communicational circuits, offered real projects. But in all cases he was made to be content with polite refusals because all our polygraphy belongs to the state. And private printing-houses successfully competing in the market, having a good computer base are unable to print newspapers of big format and average circulation.
No episode come to mind when state structures would have carried paper or offset plates to the viloyat in order we might publish newspapers since the time of Glavsnab's dying away (State Administration In Charge of Supply of Material Objects of Various Assignment). Absolutely all things required for printing MM and printing-houses are brought by private businessmen. It has been ten years already since our newspaper editors turned practically into providers being in charge of an editorial office household, purchasing paper, dyes, plates and searching where to get it all, into the bargain; their additional worry is how to raise cash money! And because of a limited choice of the materials offered polygraphists agree to use low sort paper and dyes with ensued dates that can't help reflecting upon the quality of the published produce.
All these newspaper problems are complicated by additional troubles - a steep rise of prices for paper and spare parts for printing equipment entailing increased payments for polygraphic services; if you take all this into consideration it wouldn't be difficult for you to imagine the situation in which journalists and publishers of Northern Tajikistan may soon find themselves in.
The times urges that all of us - state officials, representatives of socio-political organizations, private persons and independent journalists - should start, if not cardinal transformations, but at least, carry into effect concrete measures on creating permanent conditions for competitiveness of newspapers and magazines. Today these are not our own ambitions and desires, but the rigid laws of market economy that are paramount factors for MM development all over Tajikistan.