[IREX] IREX Announces $14 Million In New Media Projects

[IREX Front Desk Receptionist]

Press Release

Friday, October 5, 2001

US Contact:	Mark Whitehouse, Director of Media Development
	(202) 628-8188, ext. 137 / irex at irex.org

IREX Announces $14 Million In New Media Projects

Washington, DC--The International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) is
pleased to announce that it has received three separate media awards
totaling $14.2 million from the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID). With these contracts IREX will work to strengthen
independent media in the Russian Federation, Kosovo, and Montenegro.

The Russia Independent Print Media Project (RIPMP), a three-year, $3.5
million cooperative agreement, focuses on print media and creating a viable,
Russia-wide network of independent, nongovernmental press centers. The
project will focus on helping the Press Development Institute (PDI) address
issues plaguing the non-state print media sector in the regions of Russia.
This assistance will include legal support, creating financial
self-sustainability, and improving professional journalism skills. For more
information on RIPMP, go to <www.irex.org/programs/ripmp/index.htm>.

The Kosovo Independent Media Program (KIMP) and Montenegro Independent Media
Program (MIMP) will both focus on increasing the flow of objective,
non-state news and information so that citizens can make informed decisions
on the political and economic future of their countries. KIMP, a three-year,
$7.7 million cooperative agreement, is an extension of the USAID-funded
ProMedia program, which IREX has implemented in Kosovo since June 1999, and
will involve working with private television stations; independent,
nongovernmental media institutions; news agencies; and regional print and
broadcast outlets in Kosovo. More information on KIMP can be found at
<www.irex.org/programs/kimp/index.htm>. MIMP is a $3 million, three-year
cooperative agreement that builds upon IREX's existing ProMedia work in
Montenegro. IREX will work with a small group of the most promising
independent print, radio, and television outlets in the region's media
community. For more information on MIMP, go to
<www.irex.org/programs/mimp/index.htm>.

IREX is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement
of knowledge. Central to its mission is the empowering of individuals and
institutions to participate meaningfully in civil society. IREX administers
programs between the United States and the countries of Eastern Europe, the
New Independent States, Asia, and the Near East.