Establishing Euronews Georgia while having the time of his life
In a country striving towards the West, the global brand Euronews is about to be established as a new local broadcasting channel. Teaming up with Georgia’s Silknet, in his most recent visit Michael Peters, CEO of Euronews Global, discussed the details involved in establishing Euronews Georgia, which according to him will be operational from July.
Arguably the greatest asset for Euronews would be the integrity and independence that is strongly kept as the core value of the company. According to Peters, it was imperative to partner up with such a company that would establish a local branch based on these beliefs.
“While considering market penetration, we always look for a country with an interesting geo-political situation and a strong partner, according to this Silknet was the logical choice. Our team believes in establishing an independent branch which will concentrate on delivering the relevant local news, while simultaneously increasing awareness of the global brand, therefore the contents of Euronews will be mixed, meaning that we will bring European news to Georgia and vice versa,” stated Peters in an interview with The FINANCIAL.
One of the most important decisions in the pre-launch phase concerned choosing the candidate for editor in chief, which ultimately went to Vasilis Bitsis. With his vast experience of running the branch in Greece and being an expert in creating corporate culture based on the values of Euronews, Mr Bitsis was deemed the best man for the job.
“Considering the political positioning of most TV journalists, it was quite challenging to find a suitable candidate with the necessary experience, who simultaneously carries our values. Therefore, as the head of the Greek subsidiary and someone who understands the recruitment process, Vasilis Bitsis was a natural choice.
However, his residence will be limited, as he will manage Euronews in Georgia for an estimated period of 6-12 months, after which we will declare a new editor in chief who will no doubt be of Georgian nationality,” stated Peters.
The global CEO also emphasised the strong faith he has in the young generations in respect to the important role they will play in the company’s future development. While the political situation has the broadcasting media divided, having a truly independent channel could be a great option to contribute to, especially considering the freedom in creativity it provides, which is a great joy for any journalist.
As well as the formal side of the visit, Peters also talked about his interests. Being fond of music, the CEO uses his leisure time to play as a DJ. Performing alongside professionals, the Noble Savage nightclub witnessed some of his skills recently, where Peters surprised guests with some awesome mixes.
“The thing that I find most amazing about DJ-ing is the ability to please the crowd. This is a place where my formal status is irrelevant, and all that matters is the performance and the reaction of the people.
I do understand the informal tone of my interest, however I would not have felt comfortable in my own skin had I not been so open about it.”
Peters is set to perform again at the Noble Savage club alongside professionals.