Maria Tsantsarova: I suffer for the unasked questions

The host of bTV's morning show gave a special interview and was featured on the cover of the December-January issue of DIVA magazine. In the article, Maria Tsantsarova talks about what it is like to be a TV journalist, and about the challenges and opportunities of getting the right information to the large audience in front of the screen. Selected excerpts can be read here, and the full interview in the latest 2024 issue of DIVA magazine.
What was 2024 like for you, Maria?
At first it was like two years in one. When you work on a morning show and get up at night, you literally experience the day twice. Once on air and then when the team gets together and starts planning for the next day. I've had a lot of professional challenges this year. There have been situations that have never happened to me before. And in that sense, the year has been full of lessons for which I'm grateful. One of the biggest challenges was not giving in to the narrative of myself - who I am, what I am, how it's right to do my job. If you can hold on to the principles and standards of the profession and not be swayed by outside influences, you can somehow stay on the right track.
You must have convinced yourself long ago that being a "small and delicate woman" doesn't protect you from physical abuse. Do you accept this as one of the risks of what is considered to be one of the most stressful professions?
I'm glad it hasn't occurred to anyone to use physical aggression against me, and I hope it doesn't occur to anyone. And there are risks in every job. What I've been thinking is that I'm probably intolerant of feelings like fear and anxiety and don't calculate where the line of danger is. I can't live like that. So, at no point was there any hesitation in front of me.
Am I to believe that you feel more comfortable in a team than alone, as in "Why, Mr Minister?"?
When you are alone, you follow your own logic and reactions. You listen to your interlocutor; you know that the conversation will continue in the direction you are leading it. And when there are three of you around the table, it's different, because it's very difficult for two people to react in sync, to have the same pace and direction in the interview. The on-air partnership is a lesson I'm learning from.
Do you still read what people write on TV? Is there a viewer signal that has caught your attention, and if so, what is it?
Contrary to the assertion that nobody watches TV anymore, many people write to us with literate pleas for help. As well as emails, I receive handwritten, typed letters, which show that people of all ages are still looking for help and believe in the power of journalism to find solutions. Later, I even have a conversation with a mayor who claims that his city is about to lose its only park because of deals made by his predecessor.
Do you think the media doesn't invite people who have something to say, so their platform is podcasts? Who would you like to talk to?
Who are the people you've seen on a podcast that you haven't seen on TV? Who says you don't invite people who have something to say? We invite all sorts of people. But every guest considers many factors before accepting or not accepting to appear on live TV. For example, there is only so much time on TV to get your point across. The podcast allows for quiet storytelling, giving context, making connections. People also think about who they would like to sit across from them. Some have said to me, Maria, I need to talk without a lot of questions, others want the questions in advance, which can't happen. There are those who simply don't want to appear in the mainstream media. As for who I'd like to talk to, it's the people who don't like to give interviews, but who know the answers to many of the key questions in our society.
Have you ever found yourself unprepared for a conversation with one of the people you invited to your morning block? Do you allow yourself to react spontaneously?
Preparing in advance and having a plan for the conversation works well until the conversation starts. From then on, it's all spontaneous and you can't always stick to the questions you've prepared. Especially when you're listening.
Is it true that you often get flowers on television? How do the people you've defended thank you?
The bouquets just prove that we live in a time where people can be considerate of each other and like to make gestures. Interestingly, these gestures tend to come from people who have struggled with the answers in our meetings, rather than from those who have felt supported by me. For example, years ago I did an interview with an MP - a short interview - which made it clear that he was not fully prepared for the job he had to do in Parliament. To this day he says he is grateful to me because after that interview he realized that politics was not for him. He now has a successful health food restaurant business. He is a sportsman; he prepares food for sportsmen. The public discrediting, as he put it at the time, has now helped him to find the best path for himself. And recently, for Christmas, I received a frozen partridge from a man I've put in impossible situations - defending not his own decisions, but other people's with incredible arguments. With the clear knowledge that his answers could not justify the institution he represented, but with the fortitude never to pass the buck to anyone else. And then - lambs for Christmas. I've also received knitted stockings for me, for the children... People are imaginative in the way they show their sympathy.
Of all your journalistic work, for which you've won more than one or two awards, what do you consider to be your greatest achievement to date?
The ones that have left even a small mark and really made a difference are worth it. You told me that the most visible for you was Help Karma. It was the work of a lot of people. The data that we showed, the interviews with the founders and owners of that foundation, showed how they used noble causes, the stories of children and adults with serious health problems, for other kinds of benefits other than helping people in need.
You can read the full interview with Maria Tsantsarova in the latest 2024 issue of DIVA magazine.