balcytiene lithuania 20090930 def

7/30/2019 Balcytiene Lithuania 20090930 Def

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Lithuania: Professionalism reduced to arithmetic: increase in

business, reduction in journalism

Auks Balytien and Egl Napryt

1. Introduction: media regulation and its impact on journalism

Laissez faire policies implemented in the Lithuanian media legislation in the early 1990s has

brought to controversial results two decades later. Absence of restrictions against different

forms of ownership has opened the media field for different actors. This was especiallyneeded in the early 1990s when the country attempted to nationalize its media system by

privatizing media organizations from within. However, very liberal regulation complemented

with new owners different business aspirations created favorable conditions for market-

oriented logic to proliferate in media production.

The Law on Provision of Information to the Public (first accepted in 1996, new amendments

as of July 2006) has certain provisions that guarantee openness and transparency of media as

well as enable the widest range of views to be put forward. Media legislation also covers the

requirement for political advertising and the procedure for announcing and designating it in

media. Also, according to the law, all media are required to report annually on changes in

their shareholders.

In drafting its legislation Lithuania has followed the practice of the Nordic neighbors.

Lithuania has a so-called regulated system of self-regulation (resembling practice in Sweden).

It also ensures state subsidies to public information producers through the Fund for the

Support of the Press, Radio and Television (Press Fund). Although the budget of the fund is

not big (it was 1.4 million Euros), but by supporting non-commercial production it contributes

to diversification of media output.

Another possibility to correct the so-called market failure seems to be the public funding.

Funding media projects directly by citizens has a particular potential in fostering and

enhancing pluralism, diversity and quality. Since 2005, according to the Law on Income Tax

of Individuals, any natural person may transfer up to 2% of the amount of the income tax paid

to the state to any public institution or business organization (also media companies).


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The public service broadcaster, the Lithuanian Radio and Television (the LRT), is the only

medium which according to the right of ownership belongs to the state. The LRT bases its

activity upon the Law of LRT and the Law on Public Institutions. The activities of LRT are

not licensed. In contrast, persons that desire to engage in broadcasting and/or re-broadcasting

activities must obtain a license from the Radio and Television Commission of Lithuania

(RTC). In 2006, a decision to drop down the introduction of the license fee to finance the LRT

was taken leaving the public service broadcaster completely dependent on state subsidies and

commercial advertising.

In this overview, media statistics from 2006 and 2007 is used and media performance is

evaluated on the analysis of nine cases (Table 1).

Table 1 about here

Ten representatives of these media organizations were interviewed: the chief editor of the

regional daily Kauno diena, the chief editor of the tabloid daily Vakaro inios, a journalist

of the free daily 15 minui, the head of the newsroom department of commercial

broadcaster TV3, the head of the TV newsroom department of the LTV (public service TV

channel), the head of the radio newsroom department of LR1 (public service radio), the chief

editor of the commercial radio station ini radijas, the chief editor and the vice-editor of

the Internet news portal Delfi.lt, the chief editor of the Internet news portal Bernardinai.lt.

2. Indicators and scores

(F1). Geographic distribution of news media 2 points

Mainstream news media is equally available to all citizens.

There are no clear differences noticed in the regional or national distribution of mainstream

media. Few exceptions in the use of the Internet can be observed, but the situation is changing

rapidly.

The use of print and Internet media has been growing while individual TV viewing time has

been shrinking since 2004 when Lithuanians watched television 213 minutes per day (Table

2).


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In 2007, one weekly newspaper was read by 71.3% of inhabitants of 15-74 years of age, while

one daily was read by 50.5% of people in the same age group (TNS Gallup). Average

readership of dailies was 58% of inhabitants, weeklies 71% of inhabitants. The tendency of

slowly growing readership of periodicals is noticed during the last few years it increased by

2%.

Table 2 about here

According to the Lithuanian Press statistics of 2007, 328 newspapers and 474 journals were

published in Lithuania. Each inhabitant would get 79 issues of newspapers and 20 journals a

year if divided equally. A great variety of local and regional newspapers may be noticed.

There is a tendency that more newspapers are available in larger regions (with bigger cities,

such as Vilnius and Kaunas with populations of 550.000 and 350.000 respectively), even

though it is not a rule (Table 3).

Table 3 about here

Lithuanians are not the most devoted newspaper readers in Europe. According to the World

Press Trends (2007), the newspapers reach in 2006 was 56.1% which is less than in the

Nordic, but higher than in the Southern European countries.

The majority of dailies in Lithuania follow the middle road. In mainstream dailies serious

things intertwine with popular reports. It is also customary that dailies are published in a

smaller (compact) format. A smaller format does not necessarily indicate that a newspaper isovertly sensational. All newspapers have bright covers, eye-catching headings and

subheadings and many photos. All dailies are published as morning papers. There is no

evening or Sunday press. Lithuania does not have sports daily (sports news as well as other

specialized news are covered by the Internet media). The only free daily (15 minui) has

been published since 2005.

Lietuvos rytas and Respublikos grup, two publishing houses deeply rooted in the press

market, give evidence that the newspaper market is an oligopoly in Lithuania (Table 4). There


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are prospects that a large number of owners and publishers will not endure. Especially in

small media markets, concentration is inevitable.

Table 4 about here

Lithuanian television market consists of 31 television networks, 30 of which are commercial

and one is public (the LRT, broadcasting 3 national television programs LTV, LTV2 and LTV

World). The two of commercial television stations TV3 and LNK are in a strong

competition for audience attention (Table 5).

Table 5 about here

The most money spent for advertising is absorbed by TV sector (43.5%), which allows

different program diversification strategies to apply.

In broadcast sector, cable penetration has remained steady at some 42% of the total

population. In 2006, over 57% of television households were watching TV only via theanalogue terrestrial broadcasting platform. It is expected that TV viewers possibilities to

choose should be widened after the implementation of digital TV. It is planned that in 2009 at

least one network of digital TV should cover at least 95% of the territory of the country.

As for the radio market there are 48 radio stations (11 national, 7 regional and 30 local radio

broadcasters). Except for one station (the public service radio with its three programs) all

stations are profit-driven ventures. In 2006, among the TOP 5 radio programs the LR1 (public

service radio station) is the top popular with 23.2% of market share. The availability ofregional and local radio programs differs greatly in the main cities and smaller regions. If in

Vilnius 15 regional radio stations can be heard, in Kaunas 13, Klaipda 12, iauliai 9,

some regions can hear only few or none at all.

The Internet is the fastest growing media with annual growth of advertising revenue about

50% every year. Aside to online news portals maintained by conventional media, there exists

an abundance of online-only news portals that are taking a full advantage of the existing

opportunities to conquer online audiences by providing breaking news, news analysis,


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interviews and press reviews, blogging, interactive games and other online services of added

value (Table 6).

Table 6 about here

The growth of the Internet and mobile phone users has significantly affected the expansion of

the online news market. In 2005, at least 36% of population accessed the Internet once per 6

months, 130% of population had mobile telephones and 15% of households were connected to

the Internet. In 2006 alone, the Internet connections at home amounted to 32%. In 2007, the

size of online audience has reached 54% of total population of the country and there is a clear

tendency observed that the Internet usage is increasing in the peripheral regions indicating

leveling of Internet media use between bigger and smaller cities of the country.

During recent years, the usage of broadband Internet is growing at high rates. Just in one year

(between 2006 and 2007) the number of households using broadband increased by 14% (from

19% till 34%). These numbers are still smaller than the European average which was 30% in

2006 and 42% in 2007. However, the difference between European and Lithuanian average is

diminishing (from 11% in 2006 till 8% in 2007). Despite fast growth, the conclusion could bemade that only one third of Lithuanian households are enjoying the advantages of broadband

connection.

(F2) Patterns of news media use (consumption) 1 point

The use of entertainment programs dominates among general population; clear differences

exist between media use among better educated and having better income audience groups if

compared to less educated, younger and less economically wealthy consumers.

Age and education as well as income are still considered to be major factors affecting news

media usage patterns. Tabloid dailies (Vakaro inios, L.T.) are far more popular than the

dailies of mid-market (Lietuvos rytas) or higher quality (Kauno diena, Klaipda).

Younger, better educated audiences show preferences in the Internet media consumption,

while no clear age group distribution is noticed in TV news access.


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In the TV sector the highest ratings were reached by entertainment programs, finals of music

shows and broadcasts of basketball games. The ratings of the most popular entertainment

programs range from 29.7% to 20.6%, ratings of movies from 16.1% to 14.9%, while the

ratings of the most popular newscasts on different channels vary from 12.4% to 2.1%.

Comparing this data, it may be noticed that the popularity of entertaining content is up to 3

times higher than that of the newscasts.

In the radio sector, the majority of radio programs belong to the type of entertainment and

present only very short news. However, there are two news-oriented radio stations the first

radio program of the public service broadcaster and ini radijas. The former one is the

leader among radio stations while iniradijas is in the 13th position (2.1%).

Analyzing the usage patterns of Internet, it should be mentioned that in both 2006 and 2007news portals were among the most popular accessed websites reached by 72% (Delfi.lt, news

portal), 37% (Lrytas.lt, online newspaper) and 27% (Alfa.lt, news portal) of online audience.

In the second half of 2007, 18.4% of the Internet users claimed they most frequently read

versions of Lithuanian newspapers and magazines, 14% communicated in virtual forums and

news groups, 2.4% of respondents watched TV online (TNS Gallup, 2007).

It may be summarized that approximately half of the inhabitants are readers of daily

newspapers (however, the popularity of tabloids is much higher than of those with more

qualitative content). Similar findings can be made in the TV and radio sectors: ratings of TV

news are 2 or 3 times lower than those of entertainment programs, while active news listeners

comprise about 23% of the total radio audience. The situation is different with the Internet

news oriented portals take the most popular positions, but it should be remembered that only

around half of the population (54%) are Internet users in Lithuania.

(F3) Internal rules for newsroom democracy. 1 point

In few media organizations decisions in the newsrooms sometimes involve journalists.

In most media organizations there are no formal procedures on how to involve journalists in

decisions on personnel or editor in chief choices. Most often, the chief editor is appointed by

the owners or a company director, even though once journalists of 15 minui were asked to

suggest a candidate.


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In the news media analyzed, the selection of new journalists is usually done by the chief

editor or the head of the news department (15 minui, Vakaro inios, TV3, radio and TV

newsrooms of public service broadcaster). Sometimes some other employees are involved

into this decision making process, but they are usually the ones taking high positions in the

newsroom (Kauno diena, Delfi.lt, ini radijas). The entire newsroom staff is consulted

only in the news portal Bernardinai.lt, but the final decision is taken by the chief editor.

(F4) Company rules against internal influence on newsrooms. 1 point

Some media organizations have formal rules to separate newsroom and advertising

departments; concrete cases exist when journalists protested against the decisions of

managers to impose what stories to cover.

The main media law prohibits any pressure on journalists to air false or biased information. It

requires producers of public information programs to have their own internal codes of ethics,

which must set the journalists rights, duties, responsibility, employments relations, as well

as the journalists protection against restriction of his rights. It pins down the journalists

duties including the duty to refuse an assignment by the producer, the disseminator of public

information, their representative or a responsible person appointed by them, if this assignment

compels [the journalist] to violate the laws or the Code of Ethics of Lithuanian Journalists and

Publishers.

Institutionally, it seems that adequate wording is in place; in reality, however, there exist

certain drawbacks in media performance. In most cases, the requirement for an internal code

of ethics in media organization is implemented only formally as there is no legally binding

commitment to ensure editorial independence.

According to interview results, the majority of journalists say they are independent inchoosing their topics and feel no pressure from the owners. At the same time, they would not

in most cases produce a negative report on the owners. According to our respondents, there is

no censorship in the media, yet a certain degree of self-censorship exists.

Most media organizations do not have formal rules to separate newsroom and advertising

departments, but in some media these separations were made. As claimed by respondents,

most media organizations hire different people and do not involve journalists in the

preparation of advertising material. Advertising department also does not participate in


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newsroom meetings. However, it does not mean that this department does not have influence

on the work of journalists. For example, some years ago the report by Transparency

International mentioned a case when a list of main advertisers was hanging on the notice

board in the newsroom of one national TV channels meaning that no negative material should

be announced about them (Transparency International, 2007). Another research study has

shown that in the analysis of publications in three Lithuanian dailies in the period of 2004-

2006 tendencies were noticed that no negative articles were usually prepared about the main

advertisers (Nastaraviius, 2006). The same research study also demonstrated that some

newspapers even started publishing negative articles about some companies prompting these

to order advertising.

In our sample of leading media, some chief editors are also the directors of their mediaorganization (for example, in the daily Vakaro inios and the radio station ini radijas).

This could be treated as a conflict of interests, as newsroom and management departments

should be totally separated.

It also needs to be mentioned that clear cases exist to verify that journalists protest against

internal pressures. For instance, when the news agency ELTA was bought by the Respublika

media group, the majority of ELTA journalists left their jobs as they claimed that the new

owners tried to make influence on the content. In 2007, the director general of the radiostation ini radijas Vaidotas ukas lost his job because, as he claimed, he refused to make

an interview with the owner Augustinas Rakauskas (the president of the association of

enterprises Senukai).

(F5) Company rules against external influence on newsrooms 0 points

Media organizations receive income from diverse streams; however, sponsoring agreements

are found in some, mostly regional and local, media.

News media receive income from a multitude of sources such as advertising and sponsoring.

In the case of public service broadcaster, close to 40% of the funding comes from advertising,

while the rest comes through state allocations.

The chief editors of the selected news media claimed that they usually do not feel any direct

outside pressures. Only the head of the newsroom of commercial TV channel TV3 said that

once she experienced direct pressure and even attempts to intimidate. She also mentioned a


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case when one of the main advertisers cancelled their order after a negative reportage about

their company was shown. Other respondents mentioned only soft attempts to affect the

content by hiring agencies of public relations or attempts to convince people who are in some

way related to journalists.

Considering the sources of income that news media have, advertising is usually the essential

one. 4 of out 9 selected news media are totally dependent on this revenue stream (15

minui, Delfi.lt, ini radijas, TV3). Newspapers (Kauno diena or Vakaro inios) get

their income from sales and subscription but advertising still gives the biggest part of revenue.

Internet news portal Bernardinai.lt is the least dependant on advertisers, as income from

advertising amounts to only 15% of the total budget; the rest is provided by the Press Fund

and various sponsors (through public funding).In 2007, the Lithuanian chapter of Transparency International has announced a research about

the level of corruption in Lithuanian media. According to the data provided in this research,

13% of businessman, who participated in the survey and who had dealings with Lithuanian

media in 2005-2006, said they paid the media by advertising or commercials for the

publishing of positive material or suppressing negative information. Most often respondents

claimed they bribed the press; national TV channels are described as less corrupt than local

ones.

Equality / Interest mediation

(E1) Media ownership concentration regional level 2 points

Media concentration is not an issue of big concern as great variety of media outlets exists on

regional level.

The audience share and reach of local and regional TV channels has slowly increased over

recent years. In 2006, the market of regional and local broadcasting included one regional

broadcaster and 27 local commercial TV stations. The country was served at the time by 57

cable operators and four Multichannel Multipoint Distributed Service (MMDS) operators.The

number of regional, local broadcasters and cable operators has been stable. According to the

law, a regional broadcaster shows terrestrial programming to a territory inhabited by less than

60% of Lithuanias population.


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Rules on licensing regional and local broadcasters are the same as for nationwide

broadcasters. The RTC says in its annual reports that regional and local broadcasters are

monitored on a regular basis. Sanctions against them were exceptionally rare: once in 2005

and three times in 2006.No comprehensive data on this monitoring are publicly available.

In general, regional concentration is fairly low. In most cases more than two competing news

media outlets are available in each sector. Market share (CR3) in the regions of Lithuania

cannot be calculated, as no relevant data is available.

(E2) Media ownership concentration national level. 2 points

Media ownership concentration is not an issue of big concern, but certain worries were

already aired by media experts as the situation in some sectors may rapidly change to critical

levels.

In Lithuania, the legislation contains no special provisions on media concentration. The sector

comes under the more general competition law, which forbids dominant positions, meaning

over 40% of a market.

In TV market, a severe competition exists between two commercial stations TV3 and LNK, as

their popularity is at similar rates. In 2007, TV3 controlled 26.6%, while LNK 22% of theoverall market. The third largest player is the public service broadcaster (LTV) which owns

13.4 of the market (TNS Gallup, 2007). The total market share of these three channels is 62%.

In the radio market, situation is different for the public service broadcaster, as its station LR1

is the leading one (it controls 21.1% of the market). Other two dominant positions are taken

by commercial stations Lietus and Pkas (13.3% and 9.4% respectively). Taken together,

these three channels comprise 43.6% of the overall market.

Considering the market of national dailies, Vakaro inios, Lietuvos rytas and 15 minui

control 19.9 %, 19.2 % and 11.1 % of the overall market respectively. The total market share

of these three dailies is 50.2 % (TNS Gallup 2007).

In general, conclusion could be made that the highest concentration exists in the television

section (CR3 reaches 62%), which is followed by newspaper market (50.2 %) and radio

market (43.8%). Even though Internet media is rapidly strengthening its positions in the

overall media market, no data is available on the marker share by the leading news portals.


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No sanctions have ever been imposed in Lithuania for abuse of dominant positions by owners

of more media in pursuing their business interests. It is difficult to prove that media

ownership concentration has direct impact on media content but observations can be made.

Lietuvos rytas, one of the biggest newspaper publishers, has stepped seriously into the TV

business by acquiring shares of the regional TV stations network 5 kanalas (now it is TV

channel Lrytas Television). The producer company owned by the same owners has weekly

programs on the public service broadcaster.

Briefly, media structural diversity is a serious problem for small markets and, as practice

reveals, it is difficult to find one adequate solution suitable for every situation. In the early

1990s, the ideal of market liberalization was initiated by immediate needs (to promote

development of domestic actors). Thus, certain bans and restrictions in media regulation wereimposed. Also, as Lithuania does not share languages with its neighbors, media regulation

does not follow the protectionist path.

(E3) Diagonal ownership concentration. 1 point

Some non media owners also invest into media companies.

In recent years, diagonal media concentration has significantly increased as well as morevaried ownership forms have emerged in the media scene.

Aside to foreign ownership (mainly from the neighboring Scandinavia), media in Lithuania is

owned by local business groups with varying interests (Table 7). Increasing diagonal media

concentration creates a tricky situation where the media becomes an instrument in the hands

of different actors aiming to achieve their aspirations.

Table 7 about here

Achema Group is now the most active player in the Lithuanian media market owning

dailies, TV and radio stations and publishing houses. Other media giants are set to exploit the

growing popularity of Internet media. Lithuania's leading private equity concern, MG Baltic,

owner of the national broadcaster LNK, launched a news portal, www.alfa.lt, in the August of

2007, and is actively penetrating the publishing market. Another private equity firm, Hermis


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Capital, owns three regional dailies, while 80% of shares of the radio station ini radijas

belongs to Augustinas Rakauskas, who is the owner of Senukai enterprises.

Briefly, discussion on media concentration and access diversity in small markets raises

different concerns. On the one hand, in a small market, few but large and wealthy media firmscould provide better quality and more innovative media products as well as ensure better

working conditions for journalists than many small and highly competitive local media

suppliers with only limited resources. On the other hand, there remains a perceived danger

that excessive concentration of media ownership and business logics based on economic

management of news production poses a threat to pluralism by concentrating more economic

power into the hands of just a few suppliers. Giant media groups may find it easy to take over

and drive out smaller companies. Also, large companies may strategically deploy theirresources to undercut the price of weaker competitors in target markets.

(E4) Diversity of news formats. 2 points

Different types of content is offered, but entertainment dominates.

Recent years have seen a certain shift from information, culture and education programs to

entertainment on the public service and, particularly, commercial channels. The increase inpresentation formats is observed in online media, as a clear shift to incorporating video news,

blogs, reviews by public intellectuals and user generated content is noticed in all biggest

online news portals. In contrast, in print media, a tendency is observed of genre diversity

diminishing just to two choices: hard news and features.

The shift to entertainment and movies is most clearly visible on television where a variety of

entertainment programs were launched. Although the generic diversity is fairly big across the

four national coverage channels (1 publicly funded and 3 commercial stations) ranging fromhard news to softer programming and entertainment, the composition among different types of

broadcasters looks very much the same (see Table 8). Offering more hours in some sectors of

softer programming (entertainment), commercial stations aim to keep balance in their output

by providing news and information programs as well as movies and fiction in comparable

amounts with the public service broadcaster. As data shows, all TV stations are dependent on

advertising revenues and air about the same amount of hours of advertisements in their

programming (4-5% of all output hours).


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Table 8 about here

At the same time, serious talk shows have been steadily disappearing from the screen. Their

number dropped from ten in 2004 to four in early 2007. Three of them cover political and

economic issues and the fourth deals mainly with social and gender issues. Two of them are

broadcasted by LRT, one by 5 kanalas and one by LNK. The political talk shows on LTV,

Spaudos klubas and Forumas, however, are criticized for bias by some experts and

viewers. In the presentation of his 2006 Annual Report in Parliament on 22 May 2007, the

Inspector of Journalist Ethics Romas Gudaitis urged the hosts of LTVs talk shows to offer a

wider choice of experts and commentators and to ensure the diversity of opinions and

expressions.

The media law contains general guidelines on programming that apply to all broadcasters.

They include the requirement to air unbiased information with as many opinions as possible

on controversial issues related to politics, economic and social issues.

Commercial broadcasters are also obliged by their license contract with the regulator to air a

certain proportion of generic programming every week (the RTCs representatives say that

they monitor periodically how commercial broadcasters fulfill these obligations; however, no

data are publicly available).

The Law on LRT also sets general principles for content broadcast by LRT. However, they

are similar to the provisions from the main media law. It stipulates specific requirements for

programs with the aim of ensuring a diversity of topics and genres, obliging broadcasters to

cover diverse social layers and people of all ages, diverse nationalities and convictions. The

law also requires that biased political views should not be allowed to predominate in the

programs, and that information and commentaries on TV screens must be balanced and

reflect diverse political views. The law states that opinions by journalists and commentators

must be clearly labeled as such, while factual news must be substantiated and comprehensive.

The law also obliges the public service broadcaster to give priority to national culture and

broadcasts on information, world cultures, journalistic investigation, analytical, educational

and art broadcasts.

The public service broadcaster is not obliged to comply with any rules on a minimum length

of programs by genre. It is the responsibility of the LRT Council to make decisions on LTV

content and to monitor its programs. However, none of these functions performed in reality:


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there are no data available on monitoring of LTV programs. The LRT Council is also

responsible for putting together a state strategy on programming of the public service

broadcaster.

(E5) Alternative / minority media 3 points

Different minority media are offered.

Lithuania is in general an ethnically homogenous country. In 2007, Lithuanians accounted for

84.6% of entire population in the country, with none of the national minorities topping the

10% threshold. The largest minority in Lithuania is Polish, 6.3%, followed by Russians

(5.1%) and Belarusians (1.1%). Other minorities account for less than 1% of the population.

Lithuanian legislation does not include any special quotas for language and minority groups.

Some radio stations (LR1) and several news portals (Alfa.lt) publish news in the English

language, while Delfi.lt has also its news edition in Russian. According to the Lithuanian

Press Statistics of 2007, out of the total number of 328 newspapers 25 were published in

foreign languages. The majority of them (19) are in Russian, 4 in Polish, 1 in English,

Yiddish and German languages. There is also one radio program in Polish (Znad Wilii) and

one in Russian (Russkoje Radio Baltija).

The Law on LRT also does not set specific quotas, but includes some specific requirements

for LTV. It obliges LTV to allot time for Lithuanias traditional and state-recognized religious

communities to broadcast religious services in accordance with the conditions and procedure

stipulated in bilateral agreements between the public broadcaster and various religious

communities. The legal amendments that came into force on 31 December 2005 added

requirements on broadcasters to air programs for national minorities and people with sight and

hearing disabilities.

LTV generally follows the legal requirements and offers five programs for national minorities

in Polish, Russian and Ukrainian, it also has programs for the Jewish community in Lithuania

and Labas (Hello) on the culture, traditions and religion of other nations. LTV also airs three

weekly programs for religious communities (Catholics, the Evangelical community and for

the Christian Orthodox community). It also airs masses during the most important Catholic

religious events. Roman Catholics in Lithuania comprise a majority. There are 2.7 million

Catholics in a country of 3.4 million, according to the census in 2001. None of the other

religious confessions account for more than one per cent of the population. The other largest


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religious communities include Christian Orthodox with over 141.000 believers and the

Evangelical community (Lutherans and Reformists) with 26.000.

In 2006, programming for national minorities accounted for 1% and 2% of LTV and LTV2

broadcasting time, respectively, while religious programs accounted for 0.8% and 1% of LTVand LTV2 broadcasting time.

(E6) Affordable public and private news media 2 points

Quality media as well as the Internet access is more expensive; mainstream media as well as

tabloid press is cheap.

According to the Lithuanian Department of Statistics (Indicators of Economic and SocialDevelopment, 2004-2009), average gross monthly earnings for workers was 636 Euro (net

monthly earnings 493 Euro). Considering the prices for the access of various media, many

differences can be noticed according to the media type. There are no license fees for radio and

TV in Lithuania; moreover, one national free newspaper is available at the three biggest cities

of Lithuania.

Putting aside free media channels, the cheapest media are newspapers (tabloids are twice

cheaper than mid-market press); subscription to cable TV and the Internet is considerablyhigher. If access to newspapers comprises 1-2%, access to cable TV requires 2% and for high-

speed Internet up to 6% of monthly earnings (Table 9).

Table 9 about here

In general, mainstream media is available at a low cost. All news portals offer free content,there are no taxes to pay for the public service media (TV and radio) and newspapers are

facing serious competition and dropping numbers of readers thus they are competing with

different subscription offers. As different media is available (and at a low cost), generally, the

amount of media consumed is increasing in all sectors.


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(E7) Content monitoring instruments 1 point

There is an organized and regular media monitoring performed by diverse organizations such

as NGOs, media regulatory bodies, higher education institutions; however, these results

seldom reach wider audience. Discussions on media performance are found in the Internet

media as well as some radio broadcasts or dailies; this is done by academics, public

intellectuals, media professionals).

In Lithuania, media content is monitored by the institution of the Inspector of Journalist

Ethics and the RTC. The Lithuanian Journalism Centre (an NGO) performs different projects

some of which are related to media content and performance monitoring as well as policy

drafting. However, the results of these projects are seldom published in the mainstream media

or reach wider audience in any other ways except of academic discussions at higher educationinstitutions.

In principle, an independent and regular professional media monitoring instruments and

mechanisms do exist in the country. There is one professional journal in Lithuania, called

Journalists News. It appears once a month and has been published since 1997 (its funding

comes from the Press Fund). In 2007, the first Lithuanian media weblog started functioning

(Gzi.lt). It is an open forum which invites all media organizations concerned with the matters

of ethics and transparency to participate in an open and honest discussion. Currently the

members of this weblog are 19 media organizations. Commentaries of media researchers are

also published on the webpage; also, there is a possibility provided to participate in virtual

debate forums.

The role of training and education of journalists seems to be of particular significance in

bringing training of students as close to practice as possible at the same time allowing

analysis and reflection that is necessary for journalism professionals to fully understand both

the methods involved in news reporting and writing and the social repercussions of

proliferating market journalism.

To conclude, it seems that a small market sets higher demands on both news producers and

consumers. For news producers, it requires to achieve quality content with limited resources.

Consumers, too, must be better equipped to access information, make informed choices and

assess the received content.


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(E8) Level of self-regulation (performance) 1 point

There is an organized system of media self-regulation in Lithuania; there are also examples

of organized self-criticism. But there are little resources and for citizens it is unclear whom to

address complaints.

In Lithuania, two institutions are involved in handling complaints on media performance,

namely the Ethics Commission of Journalists and Publishers and the office of the Inspector of

Journalist Ethics (both established in 1996).

Ethics Commission of Journalists and Publishers is a self-regulation institution, while the

office of Inspector of Journalist Ethics is more a regulatory instrument. Both institutions are

slightly interlinked, for example the candidacy of the Inspector is proposed by the

Commission. The Office of the Inspector observes how the Law on the Provision of

Information to the Public functions as well as adherence to the regulation according to the

Law on the Protection of Minors against Detrimental Effect of Public Information and others

laws. Commission mainly deals with journalist ethics and the main document on which it

bases its decisions is the Ethics Code.

The person who wants to write a complaint needs to address it to one of those two institutions.

If the case deals with human rights, honor, dignity, privacy violation, also the rights of minors

then the complaint should go to the Inspector. The Office of Inspector has a group of

experts who help him make decisions on these cases. The Office of the Inspector also

monitors media and has the power to punish information provider (by administrative order) if

he detects that the media firm has offended the law. The Commission investigates cases from

the perspective of journalists ethics. It bases its decisions also according to chapters in the

Ethics Code.

A problematic issue here is the dilemma that is faced by the citizens. It is unclear in most

cases to whom to address the complaint. Indeed, the two institutions are cooperating if the

case is unclear and deals with the matter of the other office, they exchange the cases. In this

respect a bigger transparency on both institutions is needed as well as media literacy needs to

be promoted already at a school level (in Lithuania this is already done: school programs have

different modules on media).

The Commission is funded from the Press Fund; the budget assigned is limited, it is used

mainly for administrative purposes. Members of the Commission are paid by honorariums for


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each of the meeting. Small budget limits the activities of the Commission: it does not perform

media monitoring and limits its functions only to decision making.

The Office of the Inspector is funded by the state. The Inspector is a public servant (he is

employed by the state and cannot get any other salary); he has an office and employs expertswho do the media monitoring, especially of cases that might deal with violation of the rights

of minors.

One more aspect that becomes crucially important in the analysis of media performance is a

question whether media adhere to the requests by the Inspector (also by the Commission) to

publish negations. News media often show disrespect for Inspectors decisions and almost

never publishes negations. As a result, in his report to the Parliament of 2007, the Inspector

suggests to establish sanctions for the noncompliance with his decisions.

The Commission is facing the same problem, even though the situation is a bit different.

Approximately 50% of its decisions are published by the media which broke the Code of

Ethics. When the medium in breach does not publish the negation, the Commission

announces its decision on the first radio program of the public service broadcaster. However,

in 2008 this has not been done yet due to the unsettled time for their announcement.

The only sanction the Commission uses in its work is writing letters and warnings to the chief

editors of media that violate the Code. Those organizations which constantly repeat serious

violations can be labeled as the medium which does not comply with the rules of the Code.

During the whole time when the Commission has been working, there was only one such

case, when this sanction was applied to the daily Vakaro inios.

(E9) Code of ethics at the national level (structure) 2 points

There is an institutionalized system of self-regulation and code of ethics).

The main regulatory tool for editorial policies in media is the Code of Ethics for Journalists

and Publishers, approved by the Lithuanian Journalists Union in 1996. The Code sets basic

requirements for news reporting, ethical standards and protection of individual privacy. It also

speaks about the relations between journalists and owners, and among journalists themselves.

The Code was amended in 2005 to include provisions on transparency of information, hidden

advertising and the rights of private individuals and minors. Journalists are obliged by law to

protect and respect the right to privacy in the event of death or disease. They must not


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mention personal data when covering suicides or suicide attempts and must not propagate or

depict attractively smoking, drinking or the use of narcotics. Such topics can be covered only

when needed for the realistic presentation of various issues. However, this hardly changed the

real situation in the Lithuanian media. Most of the decisions by ethics custodians in recent

years were primarily related to violation of privacy and protection of minors.

All representatives of the selected news media claimed that their journalists adhere to the

principles of the Lithuanian Journalists and Publishers Code of Ethics. Nevertheless, in

some organizations analyzed, there are no formal means that would oblige journalists to

follow this requirement. In 2 organizations out of 9, this requirement is included into the

employment contract (dailies Kauno diena and 15 minui), in one organization it is a part

of professional instructions (iniradijas). In radio and TV newsrooms of the public servicebroadcaster, provisions of the Code of Ethics are incorporated into the internal principles of

work and into the regulations on internal work of newsrooms. In TV3 and Delfi.lt, the

principles of the Code are a part of internal unwritten rules of an organization.

Only two of the selected news media organizations have their additional internal rules written

down (LTV and ini radijas). In all the others, these rules are more implicit rather than

clearly formulated principles. The methods of reaction towards mistakes or breaches of ethics

done by journalists are very similar in various organizations. No strict sanctions are usuallyapplied except some extraordinary cases; editors discuss faults with a journalist or during

newsroom meetings.

Organized process of self-criticism is quite rare except of few projects (one radio program and

several online portals) which offer programs resembling the logic of media reviewing media.

Independent journalist associations play an important role in improving skills and raising

ethical standards. In Lithuania, two such organizations exist: Lithuanian Journalists Union

and Journalists Association. The number of their members is respectively 800 and 100

journalists. Having in mind that in general there are 3000 journalists in Lithuania (4000, if

counting those who work on honorarium bases), then members of these organizations form

approximately one third (or one fourth) of all journalists.

The number of the members of professional organizations differs a lot in the selected news

media. It is only in the daily Kauno diena that all the journalists belong to the Lithuanian

Journalists Union; in other news media analyzed they comprise from 0 to 35% of all

newsroom employees. On the whole, it may be generalized that Lithuanian Journalists Union


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is not strong but it performs its functions at least partially. It organizes various courses and

seminars, provides free consultations on legal matters for their members. Besides, a collective

agreement was signed with the National Association of Publishers of Regional and Town

Newspapers which unites representatives of 37 newspapers.

(E10) Participation of citizens 2 points

News media organizations have introduced adequate means to receive public comments.

Media in Lithuania provides a variety of ways for hearing their audiences opinions and

suggestions. Rather often people suggest various themes that journalists find worth creating

articles or reportages about, so the audience has impact on the news media agenda.

According to the representatives of the selected news media, the most popular forms of

expressing audiences opinion and suggestions are phone calls and e-mails. Some news media

have original ways to hear from their readers or listeners. Internet news portal Delfi.lt has

created a special menu section called Tell us your news!, while the journalists of the portal

Bernardinai.lt once a month or more seldom organize meetings with their readers in various

parts of Lithuania. Some ways to hear audiences attitudes are related to the type of media: in

the programs of radio station iniradijas and public service broadcaster, listeners calls areoften incorporated into the live coverage. Radio newsroom of public service broadcaster also

has an answer phone which records listeners questions at any time of the day. A special

broadcast is prepared every week for providing answers to these questions.

Internet media organizations having less hierarchical editorial structures are more open to new

content formats and forms of cooperation with citizens. Many possibilities to participate in

discussions on actualities are provided by Internet portals, as they all allow the possibility to

comment on the articles. Some of them offer possibilities to write weblogs (Delfi.lt, 15minui, Kauno diena), to participate in virtual discussions and forums.


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Control / watchdog

(C1) Control of the controllers 1 point

Few media do this on a more deep level; mainstream media only mention factual information

on changes in the field.

Public criticism and regular public debates on media performance are taking place on

irregular basis. For example, media structural changes related matters are covered in the

media; this, however, is done mostly on the factual level and in the sphere of economic news.

A broader analysis on the impact on changes in the media field on citizenship is lacking (but

again with some exceptions, for example, some media do this). The chief editor of

commercial radio station ini radijas described their main function as serving interests of

the audience, so the control of the controllers is taken into account as much as it interests their

listeners. A journalist of a free newspaper 15 minui said that the informational style is

dominating in their newspaper and serious issues are avoided.

(C2) Watchdog and the medias mission statements 1 point

Level of importance is acknowledged as very high; at the same time, the mission of media in

most cases is mentioned as to inform the public.

The representatives of the selected news media describe the watchdog role as one of the most

important functions of media, but the biggest priority is given to the mission of informing

society and presenting the biggest scope of various opinions. Journalists claim that it is

important to report news which has tangible consequences for ordinary citizens. This kind of

journalism takes a keen interest in public opinion. In these answers the locus of news is

clearly pulling away from politics and seeking a more immediate connection to the everyday

life of individuals.

Also, it may be noticed that some representatives of the selected news media have a varied

understanding of the watchdog function. For example, the chief editor of the daily Kauno

diena and the head of the radio news department at the public service broadcaster associated

it with the presentation of a concrete authors opinion towards certain actualities. The chief

editor of the daily Kauno diena expressed her opinion that nowadays the watchdog function

is being transformed into the production of balanced and wide-ranging information. As she

explained, this function in Kauno diena is fulfilled by the selection of certain topics.


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(C3) Professional training 2 points

There exists a continuous training of media professionals.

The Lithuanian Journalists Union regularly organizes trainings on the basis of the needs

expressed by the profession. Over recent years, the biggest attention has been paid to the

media in the regions and trainings were offered in online reporting and editing, newsroom

management, journalism ethics, elections reporting, EU news reporting and so forth.

However, in the media industry, professional trainings are carried out on less regular basis; a

somewhat more structured time-table of trainings is offered by the public service broadcaster.

Analyzing how much the selected news media organizations invest into professional training

of journalists, it was noticed that 6 out of 9 organizations prepare internal seminars for their

journalists (Delfi.lt, 15 minui, TV3, ini radijas, radio and TV newsrooms of public

service broadcaster). The frequency of such seminars is usually several times a year. At the

same frequency one or few journalists from an organization raise their qualification in

seminars organized by outside institutions (higher education institutions, international

organizations). 4 out of 9 selected news media organizations pay for seminars that are not for

free or finance traveling expenses if the seminars take place abroad (dailies Kauno diena,

Vakaro inios; TV3). Other 4 media organizations finance only part of the price, pay for the

seminars that take place only in Lithuania or invests in those journalists that seem to be most

worth it (15 minui, Delfi.lt, radio and TV newsrooms of public service broadcaster). One

organization has no possibilities at all to invest into professional training of their journalists

(Bernardinai.lt).

In addition to various seminars, higher education may also play a significant role for the

qualification of journalists. The 4 out of 9 representatives of the selected news media

described journalistic education as not a significant criterion in the selection of new

journalists (15 minui, Vakaro inios, Bernardinai.lt, TV3). Other 4 respondents

mentioned it as the one that is taken into account but does not play any crucial role in

comparison to others (Delfi.lt, ini radijas, radio and TV newsrooms of public service

broadcaster). It was only the chief editor of Kauno diena who considered journalistic

education to be an important criterion and underlined its positive effect on employees

professional responsibility and ability to find relevant information.


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Despite the low value that the respondents attribute to journalistic education, the percentage

of journalists who are educated in this field is quite high. In 4 out of 9 of the selected news

media organizations such journalists form from 75% till 96% of all newsroom journalists

(Kauno diena, Delfi.lt, radio and TV newsrooms of public service broadcaster). In two

organizations it comprises approximately half of the journalists (TV3 and ini radijas). In

the last 3 organizations such journalists form much smaller part of the staff from 10% till

30% (15 minui, Bernardinai.lt, Vakaro inios).

Many representatives of the selected news media contrasted professional education with

experience or inborn talents. The majority of them made conclusions that practical skills for a

good journalist are more necessary than special education, even though there was no such

intention in the question to make such comparisons.

(C4) Watchdog function and financial resources 1 point

Only ad hoc provisions for media professionals to do investigation; no regular investment

into development of foreign correspondents corps, except the LRT.

Even though investigative journalism is a significant tool for the control of the powerful, the

selected news media do not engage into these activities on regular basis. Lack of financialresources, adequate time planning as well as lack of professionals qualified to do investigative

journalism are among most frequently mentioned reasons for this. For example, 4 out of 9

representatives of the selected news media mentioned that they would like to pay more

attention to the field of investigative journalism (Kauno diena, TV3, radio newsroom of

public service broadcaster, Bernardinai.lt). Regional daily (Kauno diena) is the only

organization which encourages production of investigative journalism: a journalist is awarded

a certain bonus for an article prepared after investigation. In some media organizations

allocation of time required for the production depends on internal agreement between

journalists (Bernardinai, 15 minui). In the free daily 15minutes, only so-called mini

investigations or experiments are sometimes accomplished, but an informal agreement exists

that one journalist is preparing a report on the theme of the day while others do the rest of the

work. In both TV channels analyzed, TV3 and the first TV channel of public service

broadcaster (LTV), a weekly program oriented towards deeper analyses of actualities is

broadcasted. If an important issue for investigation is found, the newsroom attempts to

provide conditions for an investigation. For example, in 2007 an investigation about abuses of


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power in the municipality of the capital city had been carried out for 3 months. Nevertheless,

the majority of the news media analyzed do not allocate neither additional time nor money for

the promotion of investigative journalism.

It is interesting to note that even the notion of investigative journalism that chief editors of theselected news media have may be different. The head of the radio newsroom of public service

broadcaster feels sorry that they have no special department of investigative journalism and

look up to Scandinavian media where journalists perform research for half a year or even for

the whole year. By contrast, the chief editor of the tabloid Vakaro inios claimed that

articles of investigative journalism are published every day on the second and third pages of

the newspaper. However, these publications could be described as usual articles and certainly

not as examples of investigative journalism.

3. Concluding remarks

This study has disclosed certain drawbacks that may have serious implications to medias

democratic performance in the future.

Lack of explicit mission statements and rules for internal newsroom organization are

disclosed as a serious problem in some (particularly, commercial) media organizations. It is awarning indication of lack of internal newsroom democracy which may lead to limitations of

medias democratic performance. Also, as discussed in this study, certain kinds of self-

censorship as well as external pressures on certain media types (small media) are detected.

In addition, complex organization of self-regulation, absence of publicly available media

monitoring efforts affect both media accountability and public knowledge and willingness of

the audience to take part in media related discussions. The Internet media is operating on a

somewhat different logic as it aims to create open forums for public debates by providingdiverse news and also critical analysis of media performance related matters. Although

Internet usage is growing and leveling in the regions of the country, audiences which access

this medium are the younger and better educated ones.

It may be observed that the news media analyzed do not explicitly assign special importance

to the function of the control of the powerful but at the same time perform it to a certain

extent. As mentioned, investments into investigative journalism are often prevented by the

lack of financial resources.


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There is a general trend observed that in favor of expanding profit margins the mainstream

media gradually abandon public service mission of journalism. Entertainment programs and

sensational news dominate in commercial channels.

To conclude, there are many challenges to be approached in the process of consolidation ofmedia democratic performance in Lithuania. Some of these challenges are quite new such as

questions related to diffusion of market-oriented journalism and abandonment of public

service mission, ongoing structural changes in the media sector due to media convergence and

concentration, or old, for example, related to production of analytical and investigative

journalism, investments into foreign reporting and so forth.

In short, the journalistic culture of Lithuania is affected by the liberal media model, but weak

historical tradition of professional journalism, absence of organized self-criticism in themainstream media and lack of public debates on medias performance has caused significant

distortions of medias performance from, especially, the Nordic examples.

References

Balytien, A. (2006). Mass Media in Lithuania: Changes, Development, and JournalismCulture. Berlin: Vistas.

Gemius Audience (company website), http://www.audience.lt.

Lithuanian Press Statistics (2007), available on the Internet:http://www.lnb.lt/doc/bkc/statistika2006.pdf.

Nastaraviius, M. (2006). Verslo interes raika alies periodini leidini turiniui (Impact ofBuisness Interests on Newspaper Content). Unpublished Bachelor thesis, VilniusUniversity.

OSI (Open Society Institute) and EUMAP (EU Monitoring and Advocacy Program) (2005)Television Across Europe: Regulation, Policy and Independence. Summary. Budapest:OSI/EUMAP.

Statistics Lithuania (company website), Main Indicators of Economic and SocialDevelopment, 2004-2009, http://www.stat.gov.lt/en/pages/view/?id=2622.

TNS Gallup (2007)Metin iniasklaidos apvalga. Available on the Internet: http://www.tns-gallup.lt/lt/disp.php/lt_2/lt_2_4.

TNS Gallup (company website), http://www.tns-gallup.lt.

Transparency International (2007). Skairesns iniasklaidos link. Available on the internet:http://www.transparency.lt/new/images/media_skaidrumas_www.pdf.


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Tables:

Table 1. Leading news media according to its audience share, impact, distinctiveness, etc. (2007).

News media outlet Media type (averagecirculation, 000)

Ownership Other media outlets owned bythe same company

Kauno diena Regional daily, 45 Hermis Capital (privateequity, Lithuania)

Regional dailies (Klaipda,Vilniaus diena)

Vakaro inios Tabloid daily, 130 Respublika group(closed stock company,Lithuania)

Dailies Respublika (tabloid),Vakarekspresas, news agencyELTA

15 min Free daily, 100 Schibsted (Norway) National tabloid L.T. (50%)TV3 Commercial broadcaster Modern Times Group

(Sweden)Regional TV station, VIASATnetwork, chain of radio stations

LTV Public service TVstation

State (according to theLRT Law)

LTV, LTV2, LTV World, Lrt.lt,radio stations (LR1, LR2, LR3,Opus radijas)

iniradijas Commercial radiostation

Closed stock company,Lithuania (ownerAugustinas Rakauskas)

-

LR1 Public service radiostation

State (according to theLRT Law)

LTV, LTV2, LTV World, Lrt.lt,radio stations (LR1, LR2, LR3,Opus radijas)

Delfi.lt Online only news portal Microlink (Estonia) -Bernardinai.lt Online only news portal Public institution* -*A public institution is a non-profit public organisation with limited civil liability, having the rights of a legal

person, Registered according to the Law on Public Institutions and other laws of the Republic of Lithuania. Itspurpose is to serve public interests by engaging in activities for the advancement of public benefits.

Table 2. Comparing different media use in 2002 and 2006 (TNS Gallup, 2002, 2006).

Cover% Min/day Reach%

2002 2006 2002 2006 2002 2006

Dailies 50.5% 56.1% Radio148

min/day

170

min/day

Internet

Daily reach

15.5%

monthly

reach

18.4%

6 months

reach

20.4%

Daily

reach 31%

monthly

reach 34%

6 months

reach

36.4%

Weeklies 54.2% 68.3%

TV189

min/day

192

min/day

Magazines,

monthlies,

bi-

monthlies

44.6% 47.3%


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Table 3. Distribution of regional and local newspapers in Lithuania (Lithuanian Press Statistics, 2007).

Main city and its regionInhabitants (in thousands) in the

region

The number of regional and local

newspapers

Alytus 187.7 9

Kaunas 701.5 19

Klaipda 385.7 14

Marijampol 188.6 13

Panevys 299.9 12

iauliai 370.0 14

Taurag 134.2 7

Teliai 179.8 13

Utena 185.9 12

Vilnius 850.0 24

Table 4. Top 5 dailies according to circulation and average readership (TNS Gallup 2006).

Title

Place of

publicationType Publisher

Average

number of

circulation

(thousand)

Average

readership

(cover %)

Average

readership

(thousand)

Vakaro inios Vilnius Nationaltabloid

Naujasis aitvaras,closed stockcompany

130 22.0 578.1

Lietuvos rytas Vilnius Nationaldaily

Lietuvos rytas,closed stockcompany

7018.6 488.4

15 min Vilnius,

Kaunas,Klaipda

National

daily (freesheet)

Shibsted, (Norway)

100 14.4 429.6

Respublika Vilnius Nationaldaily

Respublikos leidinigrup, closed stockcompany

50 8.2 214.2

Kauno diena Kaunas Regionaldaily

Hermis Capital,closed stockcompany

456.1 161.5

Table 5. Four national coverage TV stations and their market share (TNS Gallup, 2006)

Program

Area of

transmission Owner/Media group Type

Daily reach

(cover%)

Market

share(in%)

LNK Nationalcoverage

Laisvas nepriklausomaskanalas, closed stockcompany (MG Baltic 80%, Amber Trust S.C.A.

20%)

Commercial

53.5 23.4

TV3 Nationalcoverage

TELE-3, closed stockcompany (owned byModern Times Group)

Commercial53.0 24.5

LTV Nationalcoverage

LRT, state-owned publicservice broadcaster

Publicservice

45.6 14.8

BTV National

coverage

Achemos grup, closed

stock company

Commercial38.7 9.2


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Table 6. Main online-only news portals in Lithuania (Gemius Audience, 2008).

Title Owner TypeInternational

activities

Number of

unique users,

2007Delfi.lt Interinfo, closed stock

companyMainstreamnews media

Delfi.lv, Delfi.ee841.136

Balsas.lt Naujosios komunikacijosprekyba, closed stockcompany

Mainstreamnews media

no124.878

Alfa.lt MG Baltic, closed stockcompany


no207.233

Bernardinai.lt Bernardinai.lt, publicinstitution

Non-commercialnews media

nona

Vz.lt Bonnier Media (Sweden) News mediaspecialized for

business sector

Di.se, Aripaev.lv,Borsen.dk, Db.lv,Pb.pl, Business.hr

49.722

Lrt.lt LRT, state-owned publicservice broadcaster


no na

Table 7. Media owners with their main business interests outside the media field

Owner Other business

interests than media

Media outlets

MG Baltic Diverse business

interests

LNK and TV1television stations, Internet news portal

Alfa.lt, publishing houses Neo-press and UPG Baltic

Hermis Capital Private Equity

company

Regional dailies (Vilniaus diena, Kauno diena,

Klaipda)

Achema Group Major industry group BTV, Radio stations Radiocentras, RC2, Zip FM,

Russkoje Radio Baltija, the daily Lietuvos inios,

the regional newspaper Naujienos, printing houses

Titnagas and Ausra, and advertising agency Tango

reklama

Augustinas Rakauskas President of

association of

enterprises Senukai

Radio station iniradijas


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Table 8. Output of broadcasting by genre 20052006 (OSI & EUMAP program, www.eumap.org)

PSB output (hours), LTV Commercial stations output

(hours)

Genres 2005 2006 2005 2006

Information programs 1.234 1.098 (11.2%) 16.855 8.227 (7.6%)

News (including sports) 427 447 (4.6%) 14.922 4.161(3.8%)Other information programs 807 651 (6.7%) 1.933 4.065 (3.4%)Education 0 0 (0%) 805 1.409 (1.3%)Culture 350 248 (2.5%) 1.617 3.592 (3.3%)Religion 76 47 (0.5%) 79 146 (0.13%)Entertainment 1.970 2.103 (21.6%) 31.256 20.226 (18.8%)Movies, soap 1.082 2.830 (29%) 6.260 31.491 (29.2%)Music 350 119 (1.2%) 2.410 3.591 (3.3%)Sports, excluding sportsnews

184 219 (2.2%) 850 1.135 (1%)

Other entertainment 355 261 (2.7%) 12.926 12.028 (11.2%)

Other unclassified programs 1.215 1.319 (13.5%) 10.205 12.116 (11.3%)Advertising 91 402 (4.1%) 4.123 5.402 (5%)Total 8.141 9.744 (100%) 104.241 107.589 (100%)

Table 9. Access costs for various types of media in Lithuania.

Annual subscription of internet access 114 344 (depending on the speed of data

transfer)

Annual subscription of cable TV 139

Annual subscription of midmarket daily (Lietuvos rytas) 115

Annual subscription of regional daily (Kauno diena) 57

Annual subscription of tabloid daily (Vakaro zinios) 45

balcytiene lithuania 20090930 def

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