DUSHANBE, February 16, Asia-Plus -- On Friday February 15, the OSCE Center in Dushanbe hosted a roundtable meeting that brought together newspaper managers and editors to discuss the research on factors of costs of producing newspapers in Tajikistan, which was prepared by Mirsaid Sultonov, lecturer at Russian-Tajik Slavonic University.   

Speaking at the meeting, Michael Unland, Media Officer at the OSCE Center, underlined the importance of issues related to improvement of distribution of print media, marketing and the financial viability of Tajik newspapers, and increase in circulations of newspapers.  

Saymuddin Doustov, the head of INDEM Foundation (founder of the Dushanbe weekly Nigoh ) said that there is media market in Tajikistan and it brings in an income.  “Three so-called oligopol groups set the pitch for this market,” Doustov said.  He did not identify those groups.    

In the meantime, known Tajik journalist Rajab Mirzo questioned the existence of media market in Tajikistan.  “I doubt that there is the media market in Tajikistan,” said the journalist, “I also doubt that the government is interested in developing this market and providing the population with better access to information”     

On the development of the media market in the country, Doustov suggested that new medial laws that would be adopted in the future should prohibit issue of newspapers, which fail to be repaid at least for 50 percent.

On the increase in circulations of state-run newspapers, he noted that it happens due to compulsory subscription to them across the country.     

Nabi Yusupov, the executive director of the Dushanbe weekly Asia - Plus , noted that only 10%-15% of the republican newspaper Jumhuriyat reaches concrete readers, while other copies lie idle in offices of enterprises and post offices.  “Meanwhile, subscription is an advantageous process because the price of newspaper received through subscription is much lower than the price of newspaper, which is distributed through news stalls,” said Yusupov, “It allows increasing newspaper’s circulation and thereby raising its profitability.”  According to him, only 10 percent of Asia-Plus’ circulation is distributed through subscription by post offices.  

According to Mirsaid Sultonov, newspapers cover only 20 percent of the country’s population.  

Sultonov''s research considers technical, economic and organizational problems affecting profitability of Tajikistan’s newspapers.  The study identifies the high production costs and newspapers'' inability to attract enough advertising as a main reason for their lack of profitability, as the costs cannot be recouped by sales alone.  Many state print media rely on subsidies and state-supported subscription campaigns.