Judging by its primary focus – archaeology – Durres based outlet Amfora Media is a unique and interesting case study. In the frame of the Media for All project they introduced two new segments – the video series Culture in 1 minute and the podcasts Voice of Culture – both focusing on history, cultural heritage and social issues.
“Reactions of the public are positive. Usually, video shows about culture are long and detailed. We have chosen to bring a short format in which we present the historical values of the Durres region,” Geri Emiri, editor-in-chief of Amfora, said.
Their aim was to increase site traffic, and by increasing the audience to generate more revenue for the media, but also to have more fruitful and meaningful engagement with the readers and the community.
“The number of site users has increased by 516% in the period March 2021 - March 2022, compared to the same period a year ago,” Emiri said.
Short videos titled Culture in 1 minute focus on Durres ancient history and cultural heritage with the aim to educate, promote and advocate for protection among citizens and foreign tourists. Besides videos, Amfora started producing podcasts titled Voice of Culture, in which various experts talk about socio-cultural and economic topics.
As Emiri points out the “video series have an informative and promotional approach” whilst the podcasts “should encourage public discussion” on different socio-cultural topics.
In the business plan Amfora team envisaged several forms of revenue as a result of the implementation of the Culture in 1 minute / Voice of Culture project - advertising, donations, membership, sponsored content, and media services. So far, the most successful forms are media services (creation of video documentaries, writing articles for Civil Society Organizations, etc.) and donations.
“As Amfora Production we have created a series of videos, podcasts, and articles for our clients mainly focused on social and tourism issues. The new equipment that was purchased in the frame of the Media for All project, along with the numerous training and mentorships offered by the project, significantly impacted the quality of our multimedia products,” Emiri said.
Through mentoring and capacity building support the outlet has significantly increased its technical capacity and human resources at the end of the project.
Amfora is an online outlet established in 2017 as a youth managed media focused on cultural heritage and archaeology. They are one of the eight outlets from Albania part of the Media for All business development grant scheme. The project is funded by the UK Government and implemented by the British Council, Thomson Foundation, BIRN and INTRAC in all Western Balkans countries.
