The Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Національна суспільна телерадіокомпанія України, romanized: Natsionalna Suspilna Teleradiokompaniia Ukrainy), shortened to Suspilne Ukraine (Ukrainian: Суспільне, IPA:[sʊˈs⁽ʲ⁾p⁽ʲ⁾ilʲne]; lit.'Public') or previously UA:PBC, is the national public broadcaster in Ukraine.[1] As such it was registered on 19 January 2017.[2] In its revamped form the company provides content for its three television and radio channels.[1]
From 1995 until its current name the television predecessors of the current broadcaster was named the National Television Company of Ukraine (NTU; Національна Телекомпанія України, Natsionalna Telekompaniia Ukrainy).[2]Ukrainian Radio was its radio predecessor and a stand-alone company until it merged with NTU to be the first public broadcasting company of Ukraine.[3][1]
Radio broadcasts in Ukraine, at the time part of theUSSR, began in Kharkiv in 1924, and a nationwide radio network was initiated in 1928.[4] (In the first years of the USSR Kharkiv was the capital of Ukraine, from December 1919 to January 1934, after which the capital relocated to Kyiv.[5]) In 1965 the first nationwide Ukrainian television channel Ukraiinske TelebachenniaorUT (‘Ukrainian Television’) was established.[6] (Ukraine was part of the USSR from 1920 until it declared its independence on 24 August 1991.[7])
The broadcaster was rebranded to Suspilne on 5 December 2019, with the new brand identity presented on 23 May 2022.[8]
The Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine is a public joint-stock agency with 100% of its shares belonging to the state,[3] and operates the television channel Pershyi, the only Ukrainian TV channel that has a coverage over 97% of Ukraine's territory and is the only state-owned national channel. Its programs are oriented at all social layers of the Ukrainian society and national minorities.
Its radio division Ukrainian Radio is the biggest radio network in the country, which broadcasts on FM (covers 192 settlements in 24 regions) and AM, satellite and cable networks throughout Ukraine, and is the most popular news and talk radio station in Ukraine.[9]
Among priority directions of the network are informative publicism, popular scientific, culturologic, entertaining and sport-oriented ones. Pershyi, at one point, significantly trails all of its privately owned rival channels in terms of viewership. The National Television Company of Ukraine (NTCU) was changed to Public Television Network in 2009. The network consists of several channels such as Pershyi, "Second Channel", "Euronews Ukraine" and "Ukraine and the World". In 2014, a new law was passed to make the network independent from the government.[10] With the creation of the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine in 2015, the National Radio Company of Ukraine merged into this new company, which was officially registered on 19 January 2017.[2][3]
Suspilne broadcasts on 3 national and 1 international radio channels: Radio Ukraine (First Channel, UR-1), Radio "Promin", Radio "Culture" and Radio Ukraine International. The regional branches have their broadcasting slots in the broadcast schedule of the First Channel of Ukrainian Radio. General producer of Ukrainian radio channels since 2017 is Dmytro Khorkin.
Radio Ukraine Directorate of the Suspilne is a structural subdivision of the company, which integrates four broadcasting channels, the studios of Radio House and the House of Recording of Ukrainian Radio, and 5 radio ensembles.
Radio Ukraine broadcasts on FM and AM, satellite and cable TV-networks throughout Ukraine. Also it has mobile app suspilne.radio for Android and iOS.[37]
Radio Ukraine – the first channel of public Ukrainian Radio. The most popular news and talk radio station in Ukraine. Also it is the biggest FM radio network in the country: 192 settlements in 24 regions.[9]
Radio Promin [uk] – the second channel of public Ukrainian Radio. Music and talk radio station.
Radio Culture [uk] – the third channel of public Ukrainian Radio. Cultural and educational radio station.
Ukrainian Radio House – is a studio complex located at 26 Khreschatyk str, Kyiv. It's a broadcasting center for four channels of Ukrainian radio.[38]
Recording House of Radio Ukraine – is a concert and studio complex in Kyiv. Large Concert Studio of the Recording House allows to record large orchestral and choral groups and is one of the largest such studios in Europe.[39] The Recording House also serves as a rehearsal and concert venue for radio orchestras and ensembles of Ukrainian Radio.
Radio ensembles are instrumental or vocal bands – i.e. radio orchestra – employed by public service broadcasters around the world, whose main tasks are to create stock records for broadcasting on public radio stations, as well as to promote national culture.[40] The following radio ensembles are a part of Suspilne:
1.^ The Supervisory board of UA꞉PBC decided to break the contract with Zurab Alasania effective May 6, 2019. However Alasania took vacation and thus his firing was postponed. Nevertheless both Alasania for the period of his vacation and the Supervisory Board after breaking of the contract with him assigned Mykola Chernotytskyi as acting chairman of the board.[42] Alasania has been later renewed on his position by Shevchenkivskyi District court of the city of Kyiv.[41]
Media related to Suspilne at Wikimedia Commons
