Ukrainian-language magazine PiK gaining foothold in marketplace

by Oksana Zakydalsky
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

KYIV - In cold and windy Kyiv, my daily hunt for something to read at first centered on the tables of publications in subway entrances and passages, sheltered from the wintry weather. But the pickings were lean, most frequently non-existent, as Ukrainian-language newspapers and magazines were not part of the selection that consisted almost exclusively of Russian-language reading matter. I had to resort to pushing my kopeks through the window slots of snow-covered street kiosks which, now and then, did have something to read in Ukrainian. The one exception, the only magazine in Ukrainian that was almost always available, was the weekly PiK - Polityka i Kultura (Politics and Culture).

I had met the editor of PiK, Oleksander Kryvenko, in 1991 in Lviv, and even written about him (see The Ukrainian Weekly, December 15, 1991). At that time he was the editor of the weekly Post-Postup, an outspoken, youth-oriented paper of the new democratic order. Reading over the four or five issues of PiK I found in a bookstore, I recognized hints of Post-Postup: unusual topics, drawings with frequent sexual overtones, familiar names on the masthead, the easy-to-read language.

Mr. Kryvenko confirmed PiK's continuity with Post-Postup. "When I was asked what kind of magazine PiK was going to be, I said: Post-Postup for 35-year-olds. A significant number of people working at PiK came out of Post-Postup," he said. Forsaking the youthful edge and the constantly critical posture of Post-Postup, Mr. Kryvenko said that, instead, "PiK is a magazine for normal Ukrainians, those who still want to do something in this country, who have not yet left and need something positive to think about."

The magazine is attractive in design, richly illustrated and, with 48 pages, hefty for a weekly (advertising is mostly confined to the inside and back covers). The articles are short, mostly one page in length, but not more than two pages.

PiK started coming out in March 1999, at first as a biweekly and, beginning in May, as a weekly. PiK is the only color weekly in Ukraine in the Ukrainian language.

"We consider our magazine to be an important achievement; otherwise the market would be completely dominated by Russian-language magazines, a situation we don't think is normal. I still belong to that category of journalists who see their work in somewhat romanticized terms: for us, it is not just a business but a social mission. Our mission is to write in Ukrainian on topics that we consider need airing and from our unique point of view," Mr. Kryvenko said. The topics covered fall under the broad categories of politics and culture; the magazine relies on several staff journalists, as well as a wide range of contributing writers.

PiK is funded by a private company founded by Zynovyi Kulyk, who is also the head of broadcasting in Ukraine. It was Mr. Kulyk who suggested the idea for a magazine to Mr. Kryvenko. "I asked him for whom the magazine would be working. He answered that he was setting it up for himself and for society," said Mr. Kryvenko, adding that Mr. Kulyk, a journalist by profession, is the former minister of information.

"But of course, he is also one of the key personalities around President Leonid Kuchma," Mr. Kryvenko continued. "I am sometimes accused: you work for Kuchma - most frequently by people from Halychyna, the same people who voted 90 percent for Kuchma! To me it is not important who is behind the magazine; it is more important what is in it. I feel that I am in control of the magazine's direction and viewpoint. I have never had a situation where I was told what to print."

He was asked whether he received any assurances from Mr. Kulyk that he would support the enterprise for a certain length of time. "Why expect such assurances?" he answered. "If people are given the opportunity to do what they want to do, they grab the chance. Having assurances does not affect the decision about whether to do something or not. I am doing what I want to do, and we are doing everything to make the magazine a success: building up a distribution network, refurbishing new offices, acquiring advertisers. But even if the end comes tomorrow, it does not mean that it is not necessary to work today," he added.

"I remember, in 1972, when I was still a boy, I watched a game of the Canada vs. USSR hockey series. In that game Canada was losing hopelessly and it was a shock to me that, to the very end, the Canadians played as if they were winning. A minute before the end, they took off their goalie and played their best to the very last second. Doing your best, whatever the situation, is a matter of attitude, a principle by which one lives," he said.

"So even if, at some time, the magazine ceases publication - although there is no reason to think so now - so? If one constantly thinks of when it will end, there is no time to do any work," he emphasized.

Mr. Kryvenko agreed that generally there is a bad perception of the Ukrainian media: that freedom of the press is a problem in Ukraine, that papers and TV programs have been closed, that publications and broadcast licenses are dealt out among the oligarchs, and that President Kuchma has tried to make the press a lackey of the government. Mr. Kryvenko commented that journalists are often willing lackeys. He also pointed out that the problems surrounding freedom of the press stem from wider problems: the ability and the means available to journalists to give people good information are limited.

"One can talk a long time about the ethics of government, of the opposition, of journalists themselves. But you cannot take the problems with the press or with journalists in isolation; they must be seen in the context of a society which itself has enormous problems adjusting both economically and psychologically to the modern world," he said.

The editor explained why PiK is so visible throughout Kyiv, unlike other Ukrainian-language publications: a lot of attention is paid to the distribution of the magazine. Of the 10 staff people, five are journalists and five are salesmen. PiK is distributed all across Ukraine - although it is very popular in Lviv and in western Ukraine, at least 30 percent of the circulation goes east and south of Kyiv, and circulation is growing slowly and quietly. Ukraine is a large market and distribution channels for publications are not well- developed. Subscriptions to PiK have only recently been introduced; Mr. Kryvenko believes it will take at least a year before one can draw any conclusions about the magazine's readership.

What can the reader from outside Ukraine find in PiK? "I hope that our magazine will give readers outside Ukraine the opportunity to learn something positive about Ukraine, something encouraging. From afar, Ukraine must seem like a dark blot and the brighter, colorful spots are not very visible. In our magazine we want to highlight themes and aspects that do not speak of hopelessness; we want to give a twist to the events taking place here that stop people acting on their desire to leave. At the end of 1999, this is a respectable goal," Mr. Kryvenko said.

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Issues of PiK can be seen on the magazine's website: www.pic.kiev.ua.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 23, 2000, No. 4, Vol. LXVIII

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