Serpukhovskie Vesti newspaper in the context of the development of Internet technologies (1991-2021)

Baranova Ekaterina Andreevna ORCID: 0000-0003-1794-9936 Doctor of Philology Professor, Department of Communication Management and Relationship Management, RSSU 4 Wilhelm Peak str., Moscow, 129226, Russia kat-journ@yandex.ru Other publications by this author

Novoselova Galina Germanovna Press Secretary, FGKU "Rosgeolexpertiza" 115184, Russia, g. Moscow, ul. Malaya Ordynka, 34 novoselovagalina@inbox.ru Other publications by this author

Introduction

In the 1990s, a radical transformation of the domestic media market took place. Not only the functions of journalism have changed, but also its place in society, economic and legal status, and role in the socio-political life of the country. The content of the domestic central and regional media, their interaction with the audience, and methods of work became different.

At the beginning of the XXI century, the process of convergence of journalism began. During this period, on the one hand, there is the formation of new types of media, the main qualities of which are multimedia, interactivity, speed of dissemination and delivery of information. On the other hand, there is a crisis of traditional mass media, which still occupy a significant part of the Russian media system ^{[26, p. 26]}.

Despite this, in 2021, print media (especially regional and local) remained the main sources of information and an integral part of public life for the population of Russia ^{[26, pp. 31-32]}. According to data for 2021, the level of Internet penetration in Russia in January was 85% [Digital 2021: the main statistics for Russia and the world. Access mode: https://spark.ru/user/115680/blog/74085/digital-2021-glavnaya-statistika-po-rossii-i-vsemu-miru ]. Thus, approximately one sixth of the population of our country does not consume information published in the Internet media yet.

Print media in Russia will not disappear in the coming decades. However, they have to adapt to the changing conditions of the media market development. In order to preserve the traditional role of suppliers of high-quality information, newspapers need to adjust their functioning strategies in the digital age.

Researchers from different regions of the Russian Federation regularly address the topic of the development of the Russian regional press in the context of convergence and the development of digital technologies ^{[5],[8],[9],[15],[17],[25]}. The authors call newspapers the core of the region's information space. They also talk about the impact of the Internet and new technologies on the work of editorial offices and journalists. An important aspect here is the creation and development of publication sites. Researchers also write about changes in communication interaction with readers: it is carried out not only through letters, but also through communication with the audience on social networks.

Foreign researchers also write a lot about regional journalism in various countries ^{[30],[31],[32],[33]}. The interest in studying this topic is connected, among other things, with the fact that in many states, especially federal ones, regional and local media are often the main source of information for the population.

The issue of the development of municipal newspapers in the Moscow region has been studied rather poorly. At the moment, there is not a single full-fledged study of the printing market of the Moscow region. The paper describes the way of formation of one of the newspapers of the south of the region – the newspaper "Serpukhov News" ("SV") – in the context of the development of Internet technologies.

Methodology

During the study, the authors used various methods: descriptive, comparative, socio-statistical, typological. The main methods were content analysis and the comparative historical method. The authors studied the files of the newspaper "Serpukhov News". The issues published in the period from 2000 to 2021 were analyzed.

In the course of this study, the method of in-depth interview was also used. Novoselova G.G. conducted a survey of former employees of the newspaper "Serpukhov News". During the conversation, the interviewees were asked questions about the history of the publication, its features in 2000-2010.

Historical path: "Communist" – "Alarm" – "Serpukhov news"

The history of the Serpukhov News newspaper began in 1918 after the Field Headquarters of the supreme operational body of the Main Command of the Red Army moved to the south of the Moscow region. It was on the initiative of the members of the Revolutionary Military Council and the Serpukhov Committee of the RCP(b) that the first issue of the newspaper "Communist" was published on February 7, 1919. The publication wrote about the labor interests of workers and peasants, about information on the fronts, about the exploits of fellow countrymen, etc. The messages in the first issues were short: often only a few sentences followed the title.

From 1922 to 1938, the publication temporarily bore the name "Alarm". Despite the renaming, the newspaper's correspondents continued to contribute to the construction of a socialist society.

Over time, a Rabkorov asset appeared under the "Communist", the newspaper continued to grow and became popular. The circulation of the publication increased every year. The period of "stagnation" had the largest circulation: it reached the mark of 50 thousand copies. Then the newspaper was subscribed or bought by every third family "Serpukhov.

After the August 1991 coup, a new socio-political situation began to form in Russia. The decentralization of the USSR, the formation of the CIS, the ban on the activities of the CPSU and its press, the adoption of the Law "On Mass Media" changed the situation in the domestic media market – all this gave impetus to the transformation of the media system ^{[4, p. 306]}.

The end of the XX century was a difficult time for many central, regional and local publications. Many newspapers and magazines had sharply reduced circulation, the media were losing their audience. Only in 1992, 33 out of 40 mass publications were left without readers ^{[22, p. 193]}, the circulation of newspapers decreased by five times, magazines – by seven ^{[4, p. 309]}. The reason for this was not only the increase in subscription prices, but also the desire of Russians to find their own newspaper to read. Another reason for the crisis is called ^{[4, p. 309]} a decrease in the solvency of the population: people saved on everything, including subscriptions.

Regional Russian newspapers published back in Soviet times, with the change of power, turned out to be fully or jointly owned by authorities of different levels. The state provided financial assistance to controlled media ^{[4, p. 310]}. Nevertheless, such measures are considered negative ^{[14, p. 122]}, because they confirmed the invincibility of the paternalistic concept in Russia.

In August 1991, Serpukhov's "Communist" was on the verge of closure: the newspaper was not published for a month, the editorial office suffered losses. Despite all the difficulties, the publication continued to exist, but under a new name – Serpukhov News. The founders of the newspaper were the labor collectives of the factories "X October", the Electromechanical, the Combine of building structures, the small enterprise "RONA". The printing base and paper were provided by the People's Deputy of the RSFSR, director of the Paper Mill Yu.G. Geht.

On September 28, 1991, the first issue of the old-new newspaper "Serpukhov News" was published. The editor-in-chief V.V. Korneev then addressed the readers: "You are holding in your hands the first issue of a newspaper that is ready to become your friend, assistant and adviser" [Serpukhov News – there are always more friends! Access mode: http://inserpuhov.ru/novosti/sv-skvoz-vremya/serpuhovskie-vesti-druzey-vsegda-bolshe ].

In the conditions of market relations, Russian central, regional and local newspapers began to look for new sources of income, the main of which were advertising, sponsorship and joint ventures ^{[22, p. 196]}. Print publications sometimes devoted entire strips and collections to advertising.

Serpukhov News, in order to survive in a market economy, also began to place a lot of advertising on its pages. Readers were often unhappy with this. At this time, the Serpukhov administration provided support to the "SV" of the beginning.

In the changing political and economic conditions, Serpukhov News has become a people's tribune. The editorial staff organized "round tables", briefings, inspection raids with specialists of city enterprises and public organizations.

Journalists wrote about new forms of ownership, about the problems of survival of enterprises, about the future life. Whole strips were devoted to the theme of the man of labor. Readers learned about the events of Serpukhov and Serpukhov district, about the historical past of the city. On the pages of the publication, journalists raised issues of ecology, education, culture and sports. The newspaper also published materials on local history topics (under the headings "Chronicle of Russian villages" and "My native Moscow region").

By the beginning of 2000, the publication had formed a solid team of authors and more than 100 freelance social correspondents.

At the end of the XX century . About 10 new editions have appeared in Serpukhov. Despite this, "SV" remained popular among the townspeople. The newspaper's relevance is indicated by the fact that in 1993 the editorial office received twice as many letters as the Serpukhov administration.

Serpukhov News in the context of the development of digital technologies

A feature of the development of Russian journalism at the beginning of the XXI century is considered to be the strengthening of the position of regional journalism ^{[13, p. 5]}. Newspapers at that time were divided into two categories: publications for the region and city newspapers [The system of mass media of Russia. Access mode: http://www.evartist.narod.ru/text/61.htm ]. The publications of the first group are designed for cities and other settlements of the region, region or republic. The second is aimed at the urban audience, with which the media maintain close contact. At the same time, local media, including newspapers, had a greater impact on the population than the federal [Russian media System. Access mode: http://www.evartist.narod.ru/text/61.htm ].

Serpukhov News kept up with the times. In 1998, SV completely switched from offset printing to computer layout. Designers quickly mastered computers and began professional layout of the newspaper [Journalism as a state of mind. Access mode: http://inserpuhov.ru/novosti/sv-skvoz-vremya/zhurnalistika-kak-sostoyanie-dushi ], ^{[24, p.125]}.

Soon, digital cameras appeared in the editorial office, which connected to a computer and transmitted photos to it. This was a real breakthrough for Serpukhov near Moscow, because digital photography was practiced only in Moscow newspapers.

In 2002, Serpukhov News was headed by F.M. Khabibullina, who, over the years of working in the Communist, went from correspondent to deputy editor-in-chief of the publication. At that time, the newspaper was published three times a week: on Tuesdays, Thursdays on four pages, on Saturdays – on eight. F.M. Khabibullina "brought" issues on Thursdays to eight pages, Saturday – to sixteen.

In the 2000s, the quality of printing began to change: newspapers switched from the usual black-and-white to full-color printing ^{[16, p. 122]}. Serpukhov News did not lag behind Russian trends: under the leadership of F.M. Khabibullina, the newspaper became colored.

Since "SV" was published three times a week, there was a strict schedule for the delivery of materials in the editorial office. Correspondents unsubscribed the material on the same day as the event.

At the same time, an application "Orthodox Serpukhov" appeared in the newspaper. It was published with the blessing of the Dean of the Serpukhov Church District, Archpriest Vladimir Andreev. The pages published materials about the restoration of the destroyed temples of the city, about parishioners who invested their funds in it.

On June 25, 2003, as part of Serpukhov News, the first color four-strip insert "Molodezhka" was published, which grew out of the youth editorial office of "Grenada" at the newspaper "Communist". Molodezhka was created as a newspaper within a newspaper with the support of the Youth Policy Committee of the Serpukhov City Administration. The initial purpose of the application is to highlight the activities of the Youth Parliament.

For 10 years, the application had no analogues in Serpukhov and the district, was the only publication where a novice journalist could "speak out". Youth journalists wrote about everything: about the City Day, about the dedication to students, about the celebration of the New Year, about Tatiana's Day, about shooting films in Serpukhov, about the arrival of guests from Finland and Ukraine, about the activities of the Union of Young Serpukhovites, about KVN games, etc. "Molodezhka" conducted surveys, published author's columns and poems novice authors.

Serpukhov News as part of the municipal press market of the Moscow Region

Researchers ^{[6, p. 9],[18, p. 45]} define the situation in the Russian media market in 2000-2010 as a combination of market economy and corporate-public administration. The mass media, especially at the regional level, had to exist in an information space controlled by the authorities. At the same time, some media outlets were looking for an investor, whose role was often assumed not only by corporate structures, but also by the state.

Since 2005 Serpukhov News also became subordinate to the state: the publication became part of the state institutions of the Moscow region. The Serpukhov News Agency of the Moscow Region was created, the staff of which continued the publication of the Serpukhov News newspaper.

In addition to the above applications, the Serpukhov News journalists created and regularly published other thematic pages: "Veteran", "Native Land", "Business Serpukhov", children's "Lesovichok", etc.

Every year "SV" increased its volumes. By 2010, 40 pages were published weekly [Journalism as a state of mind. Access mode: http://inserpuhov.ru/novosti/sv-skvoz-vremya/zhurnalistika-kak-sostoyanie-dushi ]. It was at this time that Serpukhovichi received the most printing space.

In 2013, Serpukhov News had its own website – svesti.ru ^{[24, p. 139]}. Its appearance and headings, as well as ways of placing information on it, were developed by the editorial staff headed by Acting Director-Editor-in-Chief E.V. Kuzmina. The main task that the journalists set at that time was that the electronic form of the newspaper should retain its recognizable appearance.

One of the correspondents of "SV" was engaged in filling the site. In addition to newspaper materials, on svesti.ru information was posted about the activities of the Government of the Moscow region and about the life of the region as a whole. An archive of issues was available.

The format of information submission on the website and in the paper version did not differ. The materials were placed in accordance with the headings that existed in the newspaper.

Advertising has also started to be placed on the Internet resource. Ulyana Tomova, who then held the position of editor of the secretariat department and filled the site, believes ^{[24, p. 140]} that the site is not only an attractive platform for advertisers, but also a serious support for the financial side of the newspaper's life.

Serpukhov News in the context of media convergence

In 2021 Serpukhov News is published once a week on 16 full-color A3 strips. The newspaper is distributed free of charge and is available in various parts of the city: in the administration building, at city enterprises, in the MFC, polyclinics and hospitals, social service institutions, etc.

Due to the ongoing optimization of state institutions and personnel in the Moscow Region, in 2021, the Serpukhov Information Agency was abolished. Now "Serpukhov News" together with the newspapers "Pushchinskaya Wednesday" (Pushchino), "News of the Week" (Elektrostal) and "Chekhov Today" (Chekhov) are part of the GAU MO "Chekhov News Agency [Decree of the Government of the Ministry of Defense dated 08.02.2021 No. 54-RP. Access mode: https://mosreg.ru/dokumenty/normotvorchestvo/prinyato-pravitelstvom/rasporyazheniya-pmo/09-02-2021-11-46-06-rasporyazhenie-pravitelstva-moskovskoy-oblasti-ot].

The newspapers are managed by the editor of the publication "Chekhov Today" T.V. Evdokimova. According to the employees of Serpukhov News, the new head does not come to these cities, but exercises control from Chekhov near Moscow. At the same time, the layout of all four newspapers in the south of the Moscow region also takes place in Chekhov, there are no layout designers left in local editorial offices.

In 2016 The government of the Moscow Region has developed a website template for all 60 municipal newspapers in the region. In 2021 , the domain inserpuhov.ru it is the main one for "SV". The authorities of the Moscow region allowed them to develop existing resources (for the Serpukhov newspaper it was svesti.ru ), but the Serpukhov editorial office has no resources (neither monetary nor personnel).

Today, Serpukhov News journalists devote all their efforts to preparing materials for inserpuhov.ru , because the authorities of the region require that up to 40 materials be published on the Internet resource per day.

A small number of employees cannot cope with a large flow of information. It is difficult for Serpukhov Vesti journalists to complete the required amount of work (40 news per day for the website and weekly preparation of materials for 16 newspaper pages). The quality of materials suffers. The work of journalists turns into reprinting of press and post-releases sent by city and regional enterprises and departments. Some materials on the site do not exceed two paragraphs, are uninformative.

The level of press and post-releases at the moment suits everyone: both the regional and city leadership. SV journalists can show their creativity while writing a few historical materials and essays. The newspaper is slowly dying, turning into a set of boring, uninteresting texts.

Conclusions

The end of the XX – beginning of the XXI centuries was a difficult time for both central and regional newspapers of Russia. Many newspapers have ceased to exist. Nevertheless, the editorial board of Serpukhov News (former "Communist") I was able to save the publication thanks to the help of city officials and enterprises.

In the XXI century, the Serpukhov newspaper remained not only popular among residents of the city and the district, but also retained its prestige, thanks to which it is now considered one of the authoritative sources of information in the city.

The work in the field of digitalization of the publication is going rather badly: we can say that "SV" are at one of the first stages of the development of this process. The newspaper's website is poorly developed. Although it does not represent a complete copy of the printed version, it contains mostly the same type, boring news and press releases sent to the editorial office from various institutions and organizations.  

At the moment, the newspaper is subordinate to the regional Government and the Main Directorate for Information Policy of the region. This causes the publication a number of difficulties: the newspaper is under the constant control of Moscow officials. Due to pressure and control from the city and regional authorities, journalists cannot afford to publish critical articles.