The influence of press services on the agenda setting in regional TV news

The news was studied with the help of the content analysis method, which contributed to the more effective usage of the information obtained in the study of this topic.

In addition, the comparative method and the synthesis of signs of engagement of news were applied.

We have been studying news releases on five regional channels for three days to reveal the substitution of socially significant information with the videos, promoted by PR people. The results of our content analysis of the regional TV programs showed that 70 % of news stories were initiated by the press services of various organizations, and only 30 % were created by the editorial offices of TV channels. Moreover, 82% of the news initiated by the press services were organized by the press service of the authorities, local self-government or communal enterprises.

Some plots from the press services were neither paid, nor socially important but appeared on the air because of low efficiency of the editorial board in search of relevant and interesting topics. This phenomenon shows that problems in cooperation between press services and mass media are not only in the order of materials, but also in the reluctance of the editorial staff to spend of their resources on the creation of exclusive plots. More profitable for regional TV channels is to use the information, which is not so relevant, but prepared by the press service.

The problem of usage of the news stories as a PR tool should be studied for further development of its solution. The solution of the problem is necessary as it may help to maintain the principles of objectivity in the formation of a sample of those submitted in the media.