Nova Broadcasting Group and U.S. Agency for Global Media announce strategic partnership

18 May 2023, Sofia. Nova Broadcasting Group (NBG) and U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) announced a strategic partnership. The Bulgarian media company will now have full access to the rich and high-quality content of the global agency. It will be featured both on TV channels NOVA and NOVA NEWS, and on NBG’s online media outlets and radio stations.

The collaboration agreement was signed today by Stefana Zdravkova, CEO of Nova Broadcasting Group, and Adam Gartner, Director of Business Development – Eurasia at the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The event was attended by Kenneth Merten, US Ambassador to Bulgaria, and Jeff Weinshenker, Counsellor for Public Affairs at the US Embassy to Bulgaria, as well as by representatives of Nova Broadcasting Group’s partnering organizations.

„I work with 42 different language services promoting their products around that region. The core business of U.S. Agency for Global Media is and always has been the brand VOA and Radio Free Europe and now our 24 hours Russian language channel Current time. I go and take the individual programmes and put those out to local powerful affiliates and work with those to make the products the best they can be to reach the biggest audience as possible. In the past 8 years we have launched Current time television which I mentioned is our 24 hours Russian language programme and we are also launching now a new infotainment Russian language platform. Those are some of our priorities. We are also trying to take the programming and version it into different languages. You can imagine with all the USAGM 62 languages we have a ton of programing that is basically stuck in one language so we are getting it out to other affiliates and across the world“, said Adam Gartner, Director of Business Development – Eurasia at the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

„We are dedicated to fair and independent reporting and objectivity. I think we can all agree that in these difficult times in the world, objectivity and unbiased news are among the most important priorities a media outlet can have. I am very proud of the NOVA team. They have made a great contribution to Bulgaria moving up seven places in the rankings for media freedom in Europe since we came in the country. At United Group, we believe that independent and objective reporting must be a core democratic value that we support in every country we work in. I am happy that we are partnering with USAGM, one of the oldest news agencies probably on the planet”, said United Group CEO Victoria Boklag.

“This partnership is valuable, not only for us as a media, for our journalists, but also for the public in general. Following the transition of the CEE countries, the Voice of America has always been associated with freedom of speech, democracy, and has been a valuable source of reliable information. In a global world developing at a fast rate, with so many events and important moments, I realize the huge responsibility of the media and of each and every journalist. In times of growing disinformation, their role and independence are critical around the world. The new technologies and social media are changing the media landscape, but they cannot displace good journalism and its function to indicate what’s true and what’s not,” stressed Stefana Zdravkova, CEO of Nova Broadcasting Group.

They highlighted the symbolic role of the event, since the Voice of America (VOA) began broadcasting at the frequencies of today’s Vitosha radio, now part of Nova Broadcasting Group’s portfolio. The Voice of America was launched in Bulgaria 32 years ago with the Good Morning, Bulgaria morning show, aired from Washington in Bulgarian language. Back then, Sofia joined the network of programmes, broadcasted in 370 cities worldwide at that time. Today, Vitosha Radio is broadcasted on 15 frequencies and is positioned among the most listened radio stations in Sofia.

About Nova Broadcasting Group

Nova Broadcasting Group is one of the biggest multi-play media and technology companies in Bulgaria, part of United Group, Southeast Europe’s leading telecom and media operator. The group is undergoing a period of extremely dynamic development, offering its clients and partners a rich variety of media outlets – 11 TV channels, four radio stations, multiple websites and digital platforms, and two print editions. Apart from its partnership with the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Nova Broadcasting Group has collaboration agreements with CNN and DW.

 About U.S. for Global Media

The United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) is a networked global media agency. The six entities that comprise the USAGM are Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/ Rafio Liberty (RFERL), Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), Radio Free Asia (RFA), Middle East Broadcasting (MBN), Open Technology Fund (OTF). They complement and reinforce one another in a shared mission to inform, engage and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy.