The online school of media management has concluded 1.5 years of work. Over the year and a half, the online school of media management facilitated three groups of over 50 participants. The course, organized with the support of the Media Initiatives Center (MIC) and Deutsche Welle Academy, aimed to enhance the skills of media professionals in management, finance, marketing, and strategy.

According to Narine Safaryan, the head of the educational department at MIC, an assessment of media needs was conducted prior to the school’s commencement.

“It was essential for media managers to have a good understanding of monetization, attracting new financial sources, marketing, and promoting media products. Our team spent six months preparing for this course, dedicating significant time to developing the content and training the instructors. The course aimed to provide practical and informative training, enabling participants to apply their newly acquired knowledge effectively,” says Narine.

Throughout the three-month program, participants were tasked with transforming their ideas into tangible business projects. Gohar Navasardyan, editor of the Sports-life.am website, found the course informative and challenging. Despite the difficulty, she persevered through numerous financial calculations, repeatedly adjusting them until she achieved a positive outcome. Gohar has decided to prioritize the development and adaptation of the website to accommodate people with disabilities.

“As someone with a disability, I am well aware of the challenges that my friends face. Therefore, I believe that individuals with visual and hearing impairments who visit our website should have access to comprehensive information. My friends with locomotor or other disabilities, who had the crazy idea like me to become a journalist, should have the opportunity to work with us. I have already drawn up the business plan,” says the Sports-life.am website editor.

The participants attained valuable financial knowledge through examples from their projects, including financial balance sheets, income and expense reports, cash flow calculations, and more.

Ligia Ghazaryan, the finance management module coach, says that the biggest challenge was to help media professionals develop a business mindset. Through the classes, they eventually agreed that having a good idea alone is insufficient for success. It’s crucial to know how to acquire the financial resources needed and manage them efficiently.

According to Ligia Ghazaryan, it’s important to consider a project from both social and business perspectives. Approaching it from a business perspective can make it more realistic and generate cash flows to facilitate the implementation of the social component. In the media sector, it’s challenging to accomplish one without the other, so it’s crucial to combine both. The media should strive to capture and develop this approach.

Media Initiatives Center is working on an online course to improve media management in Armenia. This course will be accessible to everyone at any time and location, making it more convenient and effective.

Marianna  Danielyan