Cyrillic Faces Three Key Challenges in Media, BTA Director General Says

Yoanna Vodenova

BTA Director General Kiril Valchev at the Third International Cyrillic Forum in Sofia, March 25, 2026 (BTA Photo/Hristo Kasabov)

Sofia,

25.03.2026 16:00

(BTA)

Cyrillic faces three main challenges in today's media environment, one of which is maintaining its presence globally, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev said at the Third International Cyrillic Forum, titled "Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age", held on March 25-26, organized by President Iliana Iotova.

The other challenges are ensuring Cyrillic's future in the era of social media and artificial intelligence, and preserving its historical legacy from the pre-digital media age.

Valchev highlighted BTA's efforts to address these issues, including the introduction of the agency's custom Cyrillic typeface, developed with the National Academy of Arts. The font is named LIK after BTA's cultural magazine with the same name, which had its 60th anniversary in 2025. The font aims to provide a unified and authentically Bulgarian visual standard, replacing the widespread use of adapted or foreign Cyrillic fonts. It is already used by several public institutions such as the Ministry of Culture, Sofia University, and the Cultural and Diplomatic Institute to the Foreign Ministry.

The BTA Director General pointed out that BTA had her Reference department about a hundred years before people started paying attention to fact-checking. He noted that Cyrillic is currently used in media in 61 countries worldwide, with BTA contributing to its presence even in places such as Antarctica through its press club network.

Valchev also pointed to BTA's global initiatives, including its annual World Meetings of Bulgarian Media and the BG World desk, which has significantly expanded its coverage of Bulgarian communities abroad in recent years starting with 243 new pieces in 2021, now reaching over 9,000. He noted that the next World Meeting of Bulgarian Media will be hosted by Hungary and will take place on October 19 - the Day of Bulgarian-Hungarian Friendship.

He said BTA maintains 44 press clubs, both in Bulgaria and abroad, serving as centres for the Bulgarian language and Cyrillic, with plans to expand the network further in the next 4 years of his term to 50.

The agency is also working to integrate artificial intelligence in media production, including cooperation with the Institute for Bulgarian Language, while ensuring compatibility with Cyrillic. Valchev added that there are plans for BTA to establish the BTA Institute (BTA I), inviting 16 or 17 organizations in Bulgaria that work in the field of artificial intelligence. BTA I will be dedicated to the application of artificial intelligence in the media, with the aim of optimizing its use in the media, specifically with the Cyrillic alphabet.

Valchev stressed the importance of adapting to digital platforms, noting that BTA is active on nine social networks, most of them in Cyrillic, and is exploring how to balance the role of traditional media and social media platforms.

He also underlined efforts to preserve Cyrillic heritage through the digitisation of BTA's archives, including millions of pages and images.

Valchev concluded that maintaining Cyrillic’s role in modern media requires both technological adaptation and preservation of its historical and cultural legacy.

/NZ/