The Media Support Center Foundation, a Kyrgyz nonprofit company, was founded in 2002 under the auspices of the Freedom House Printing Press Project.

The primary goal of the Printing Press Project was to break the monopoly of state-owned newspaper presses in the Kyrgyz Republic. State-owned presses often would censor or refuse to publish newspapers critical of government officials and agencies. There are many private printing presses in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia. However, the Foundation is the only truly independent press that accepts all customers, regardless of political affiliation. Milestones in the Foundation’s history >>

The Foundation today represents one of the most contemporary models of management in Central Asia. The Foundation has eschewed Soviet-style management principles, opting instead for a lean staff that is fully empowered to do its job and recommend solutions to problems often left to powerless committees or supreme leaders. The Foundation’s day-to-day operations are managed by a General Manager that reports to the Supervisory Committee comprised of prominent public and political figures from Kyrgyzstan, the European Union and the United States. The Supervisory Committee, which is, in essence, its Board of Directors, sets the basic policies of the Media Support Center. More about the Supervisory Committee >>

The Foundation sees its mission to contribute to the economic growth and development of professional competitive media to strengthen a free, democratic society as stipulated by the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic. 

In order to achieve its stated purposes, the Foundation implements a variety of activities:
- High-quality printing services with the use of modern technologies
- Broad range of design services from simple layout to full (re-)design
- Comprehensive training and consultation program covering a number of aspects in newspaper business administration.

Activities

Printing Services

The Foundation operates a 4-unit, Web offset, full-color printing press. Its prepress technology is marked by the use of state-of-the-art computer-to-plate technology (CTP), which allows outstanding image and color reproduction. It opened for business in November 2003 after a year of difficult work dealing with recalcitrant Kyrgyz officials.

Before the launch of the Foundation, only black-and-white low-quality printed newspapers had been published in Kyrgyzstan. The Foundation provides affordable, quality, censorship-free printing services.

The Foundation competes for customers on the basis of quality, service and price. Since its opening, the Foundation has attracted 300 customers, including newspapers and a few educational materials. Its monthly press run now exceeds 1.5 million copies, and it serves more than 70 regular clients. The Foundation boasts customers from all seven oblasts and Kazakhstan. It prints papers in Russian, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik, Uigur, Turkish, Kazakh and English. Among the largest Foundation’s customers are the three top-circulation newspapers in Kyrgyz language and a number of the most popular newspapers in Russian.

The Foundation played an important role in the 2005 Parliamentary and Presidential elections by printing millions of copies of candidates’ position papers and well as, in conjunction with ACDI/VOCA, 500,000 copies of a newspaper distributed throughout Kyrgyzstan which allowed all presidential candidates equal space to state their positions on important issues in the Kyrgyz, Russian and Uzbek languages.

In cooperation with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, the Foundation has printed more than 100,000 copies of civics textbooks in 3 languages (Russian, Kyrgyz and Uzbek) for 10^th and 11^th grade students throughout Kyrgyzstan.

Training and consultations

The Foundation sees its role as broader than simply printing newspapers. It has used its profits to establish a trainings and consultations program, which covers a variety of aspects from layout and design to advertising sales and marketing . The trainings are conducted in small groups and one-to-one. Within its training component, the Foundation has conducted newspaper production classes at the America University – Central Asia and marketing trainings at Bishkek Press Club .

The Foundation has licensed its multilevel newspaper layout and design program with the Ministry of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic and issues certificates upon its successful completion.

To date, a dozen of newspaper designers successfully completed the Foundation’s training and were awarded certificates. The Foundation has also provided technical and consultant support to six popular newspapers being (re-)designed, including transference of marketing and advertising sales expertise.

Results

In fewer than three years, the Foundation has built quite a profitable business while assiduously maintaining strict adherence to all of the laws and regulations of the Kyrgyz Republic. The Foundation continues to work in accordance with international business and accounting standards.