BTA attracts young audience at Berlin MINDS int'l conference

BERLIN – The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) presented its experience in attracting youth audiences at an international conference in Berlin, Germany on Friday.

The forum was organized by the MINDS International (Mobile Information and News Data Services), an association of 25 leading news agencies from across the world seeking cooperation in the area of mobile information services.

BTA joined MINDS International in April 2022.

BTA Social Networks Coordinator Iva Toncheva and BTA Daily News Editor Yoanna Vodenova spoke about attracting young people. They briefed more than 100 delegates and guests at the conference at the Westin Grand Berlin Hotel on the history, content and basic principles of BTA, whose updated website provides free access to information since February 2022.

The BTA's correspondent network was also presented. It spreads over all regional capitals in Bulgaria, five other major Bulgarian towns, six towns outside Bulgaria, Livingston Island (where the Bulgarian Antarctic Base is located), the first Bulgarian Navy Research/Survey Vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii, and at book fairs across Bulgaria.

The presentation highlighted BTA's presence on seven social networks – Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok, as a way to reach more youth, as well as the BTA's focus on recruiting young staff.

To reach the teenage audience, BTA maintains a TikTok account since December 2022, and already has nearly 16,000 followers relying on its content on the platform.

Toncheva recalled that BTA is among the first Bulgarian media to enter TikTok and Threads.

Attention was also drawn to BTA's pilot project for coverage of the European Parliament elections in June 2024 by special correspondents in all EU member states' capitals.

The audience was also introduced to BTA's LIK magazine, including to some of its issues translated into English such as the issue devoted to Bulgarian science in Antarctica.

The process of digitization of the BTA archives, which is still ongoing and covers some six million pages of newsletters and about 2.5 million photos, was also presented.

As part of the conference's program, which focused on the future of news agencies, their cyber security and the youth audience, Toncheva also took part in a panel discussion on ways to reach the youngsters through news.

She proposed the creation of joint MINDS agency products targeting youth audiences, as well as the creation of joint media literacy and education projects. The ideas generated interest among representatives of Reuters, the Associated Press and DPA's project UseTheNews.

Also attending the MINDS International conference were BTA Director General Kiril Valchev, BTA Deputy Director General Evgeniya Drumeva, and the head of the Economic News Directorate at BTA, Tsvetomira Marinova.

MINDS organizes such conferences twice a year. They are attended by the heads of news agencies and representatives of the various activities they develop – editorial, strategic, technological, products and sales.

The conferences are aimed at the exchange of ideas and experiences, as well as an opportunity to explore cooperation.

MINDS International was established in 2004 as an alliance of leading news agencies from around the world to collaborate on digital information services.

At end-April 2022, BTA became the 23rd member of the organization, and currently has partnership agreements with 16 of the other member agencies and is negotiating partnerships with the remaining eight. (PNA)