Bulgarian News Agency's network enables comprehensive coverage of all Bulgarian municipalities, says Director General

The network of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) enables comprehensive coverage of all Bulgarian municipalities on a wide range of topics - not only on its website, but also across nine social media platforms: Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, SoundCloud, and Spotify, said BTA Director General Kiril Valchev at the Annual Meeting of Local Authorities in the Albena resort (on the Black Sea) on Sunday. The event was organized by the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB).

In 2024, BTA published 24,487 news items from municipalities, prepared by the Agency’s correspondents - a 59% increase compared to 2023, Valchev said. For the first nine months of 2025, this figure has reached 34,225, which is 90% more compared to the same period last year, he added.

Additionally, in 2024, BTA published 10,136 announcements from Bulgarian municipalities - a 73% increase over 2023. For the first nine months of 2025, over 7,000 announcements were published - matching the number from the same period last year, Valchev noted.

Thus, in total, BTA had 35,623 municipal publications in 2024 - a 63% increase from 2023. For the first nine months of 2025, this number rose to 41,322, compared to 25,619 in the same period of the previous year, the BTA Director General stated.

Valchev emphasized that since last autumn, BTA began covering the plenary sessions of municipal councils in all 265 municipalities in Bulgaria. This coverage is now systematic and in-depth, presenting all decisions made by the councils.

He also gave further examples of BTA’s detailed and ongoing municipal coverage. These include reporting on activities related to the adoption of the euro, and on employment opportunities under the “I Choose Bulgaria” program. Valchev also pointed to the coverage of news from Bulgarian wineries, which were presented this week in Plovdiv during the 9th UN Tourism Global Conference on Wine Tourism.

BTA also publishes materials about tourism opportunities. The agency has organized the “BG Tourism” forums seven times, focusing on specific national messages ahead of each summer and winter tourism season, as well as on health tourism in Bulgaria, Valchev noted.

BTA also covers festivals and celebrations across Bulgarian towns and villages. Later this month, a new issue of LIK magazine will focus on jazz festivals in Bulgaria, Valchev said.

Among the examples he highlighted was also the “BG Archaeology” section, dedicated to archaeological discoveries that show Bulgaria’s 14-century presence in Europe. Valchev noted this is the title of a new joint initiative by BTA, Bulgarian National Television, and Bulgarian National Radio to mark major anniversaries in Bulgarian history with broader European relevance.

BTA’s website also features articles from Bulgarian universities. The Agency has permanent partnership agreements with 50 out of 51 universities, with the last one expected to sign on November 5, Valchev said.

He also mentioned BTA’s “Bulgaria in 4 Seasons” project, which includes photos from all populated places across the country. In addition, the agency publishes videos from municipal events, which - alongside the text news - are freely available to all media outlets.

This week marked the 22nd anniversary of the opening of BTA’s first National Press Club, launched in Sofia on October 9, 2003. In total, BTA has opened 43 national press clubs, which also serve as regional correspondent offices for the national news agency of Bulgaria, the Director General said.

This network operates thanks to the premises provided mainly by municipalities, and in some cases by the state, which has also supplied electric vehicles and modern equipment for correspondents. Funding has also been provided to ensure that each region has two correspondents, and the three largest cities outside Sofia -Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas - have five correspondents each, to provide daily year-round coverage, regardless of holidays or vacation periods, Valchev concluded.