Photo: Yordan Simeonov, 24 Hours
Bartoleit, you have taken over the management of the news at the bTV at a time extremely saturated with political news because of the election campaign for the local elections, while also managing the entire media group. How will you ensure the objectivity of the news editorial team after its former head Anton Hekimiyan, who is now a candidate for mayor of Sofia from GERB, left a week ago?
Anyone who knows the journalistic work will tell you with full confidence that a newsroom, especially of a national television is a team of many, I would say outstanding professionals and strong personalities - producers of newscasts and current affairs, editors-in-chief, news anchors, reporters, and journalists with experience or new to the profession. These are very experienced people and decisions are always made as a team. Since taking over on an interim basis, I have dedicated myself to the daily work of the newsroom. As a foreign correspondent and journalist, this isn’t new to me; I am used to working and leading big newsrooms. We have put in place additional measures to support our objectives - working even more closely with our colleagues at the CME Editorial Board and creating an editorial plan for our coverage of the election campaign. We also brought in an outside party to conduct a coverage review.
The editorial board of CME, the company that owns bTV Media Group, which is part of the Czech company PPF, will also monitor the news and current affairs programs of the bTV to ensure objectivity and independence. How will this happen? Are there representatives of the editorial board in our country?
The CME Editorial Board will continue to engage with bTV with their experience and will provide us with a professional external view on the objective, impartial and high-quality content from our news and current affairs team. Representatives of the board were in Bulgaria already last week.
With the announcement of Mr. Hekimiyan's candidacy for mayor of Sofia, there were immediate suspicions that there was a warm relationship between bTV and GERB. Is that so?
The campaign for the Local Elections has begun and the tension has grown. This is a normal process, and, in my experience, I have seen it in many other countries. The theory that we have a warm relationship with one party over another is categorically untrue. bTV is a completely apolitical organization, as our parent company proves on all other markets it operates. I understand the perception that all large media is somehow a part of the political system, but we are not.
It is not the first time a bTV journalist chooses a political career. Where is the line between politics and journalism, is it easy to cross?
The line is where priorities, trust, and responsibility change. Journalism is difficult to reconcile with politics, even the opposite, but in Germany it's not unprecedented. Former journalists from popular media outlets such as Spiegel and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung have dedicated themselves to careers in public communications and politics. But this is an exception rather than a standard. When you choose the path of a politician, you stop being a journalist. I believe that bTV Media Group has always been guided by the principles of impartial and transparent journalism.
Is such a situation a precedent in the history of CME, which was acquired 3 years ago? The company operates in 5 countries besides Bulgaria. And most recently - a few months ago, PPF – acquired a minority share in the German media company ProSieben.
This situation is unprecedented in the recent history of CME, but internationally, and historically, there are a number of examples of such transformations, e.g. Boris Johnson, famous former UK journalist, Larry Elder, radio host and regular commentator on the Fox News Channel, Nicholas Kristof, New York Times and many others.
You have over 20 years of management experience at ProSieben Sat.1 Media SE. What is the media and what would you bring to us from your experience there?
I am happy to contribute to the development of bTV with my broad international experience. Over the years, I have focused on a variety of projects in media and entertainment formats, content production and digital technologies. We strive and continue to create a modern multimedia entertainment environment that caters to the young and urban audience, but also to the broad television audience in the country. Our entertainment and reality formats, along with news and current affairs, remain an integral part of our multi-platform business. In 2024, we promise even more diverse content across our entire TV and digital portfolio.
How does television uphold its journalistic standards and ethics?
The organization of bTV and of our newsroom are structured in a way that ensures editorial independence while maintaining the journalistic standards we consider as vital to our mission. bTV colleagues at News, Current Affairs and Sports Department comply with the Code of Ethics of the Bulgarian Media.
There is hardly any media that has not been discussed as serving certain political circles. How does a television show that it is equally distant from politicians?
Anyone who knows me will say I am an optimist, and if anything, all this misplaced attention to bTV is only a validation of our important role in Bulgarian society.
Of course, it’s critical to ensure political distance, and the way we’ll do that is to let our journalists be journalists. They continue with their professional work every day – this could easily be seen on air. They are free to raise their voice. I would say to everyone: we trust our teams to do their jobs ethically and with good taste.
bTV welcomed the new autumn season with many new faces on screen who took over some of its most iconic shows. What necessitated these changes, and have they been successful?
The changes in the programming schedule of the current affairs programs are related to diversifying and lightening the content and providing opportunities for more poly-thematic content. As I said, decisions about changes are not made by one person in the company. In terms of entertainment formats, the new season offers super fun and entertainment, a colorful and enjoyable experience, diverse and upgradable content on all bTV platforms. The tenth season of "The Voice of Bulgaria" is the most watched reality show this season and entertains the viewers on Sunday nights. We have updated the concept of "The Farm", which is another popular primetime show. We have a whole new jury in the top format "MasterChef", which has managed to attract a new audience and upgrade the show. We aired special early season episodes of "Get Rich," which remains one of the most watched games on the air. We are confident that these changes are being noticed by viewers and will be offering more new titles soon.
The ambition of CME, PPF's TV company, is to create the trends in digital media transformation, not to follow them, to offer new solutions. What is the bTV Media Group doing to be part of such a strategy?
As a leading media group, part of the CME family, bTV Media Group sets the standards in the industry. The company is a fully established standalone brand whose name carries with it the association of trendsetter and innovator, applying global successful practices on a local scale, with an identity that is sustainable over time and sustains the high viewer interest in its programming. Each of our brands and platforms carry the charge and weight of bTV's core channel - namely the power to be and to accomplish. This is what we are building in our relationships with our partners, and it will continue to be our strategy, and CME's, as we look to the future.
You took over as CEO of bTV Media Group on January 1, 2023, to increase the company's growth and digital transformation. How will it change bTV?
Our business aims and strive to produce quality content remain unchanged. We are refreshing our portfolio by extending our TV entertainment. We are focused on our digital platforms and will offer more opportunities on the radio channels. bTV distributes some of the best movies and titles in the cinema theaters and we try to create a modern and diverse cross-media environment that also caters to younger audience and responds to the demand of “here and now”. Our news and current affairs are key segments of our program. We implemented a number of interesting projects and formats during the year and continue to move in the direction of technological innovation, more entertainment content, digital transformation and enrichment of our portfolio of products and services. This is our clear approach for business growth in the coming year.
Have you got used to Bulgaria, how do you find your work here and what makes bTV interesting for you?
Even though I have been in Bulgaria for 9 months, I managed to get acquainted with the environment quickly. My international experience as a journalist and correspondent in different countries may have helped. I like the Bulgarian food, the good relationship between colleagues, customers, partners, neighbors. For me Bulgaria is a wonderful country and has amazing nature. I work with fantastic colleagues, dedicated to their profession and together we achieve great results. bTV is one of the most successful and proven brands on the Bulgarian market. I am happy to be here, and I believe there is much more to show to our viewers, readers and listeners as we’ll continue to entertain them with rich and quality content.
You can read Paola Husein's full interview with Ralf Bartoleit in the print edition of “24 Hours” of 7th October, and online here.
