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HU OSA	205 C
Authority entry:	Open Media Research Institute

Parallel Entry/Entries OMRI

Related Authority Entries

• HU OSA 205-1C Executive Offices
• HU OSA 205-2C Research and Analysis Department
• HU OSA 205-3C Publications Department
• HU OSA 205-4C Information Services Department

Names OMRI

Date(s) and Place(s) of existence 1994-1997

Business location

Motokov Building, Na Strzi 63, 140 62 Prague 4, Czech Republic
US offices, Washington D.C.

Legal status Nonprofit corporation

Mandate, functions and sphere of activity

The Open Media Research Institute (OMRI) was founded by the Board for International Broadcasting and the Open Society Institute in 1994. It was established to analyze the political, economic and social transformation underway in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, to provide international broadcasting organizations with analyses, survey research, program briefs, press monitoring, library referrals, and other information services.

According to the "Articles of Incorporation of the Open Media Research Institute" the Corporation was organized to operate exclusively for charitable, educational, scientific and literary purposes. Its objectives included:
- to provide RFE/RL with information services and research support;
- to provide custody for the RFE/RL archives (the latter responsibility was transferred to the Open Society Archives);
- to make available, and distribute widely, unbiased coverage of events and political developments in the region;
- to publish materials which promulgate the standards set for media in democratic societies;
- to encourage, stimulate and invite the participation of contributors from the region;
- to make available training and support for the professional development of journalists and analysts from the region;
- to provide timely information and analysis that will enable the West to support and understand more effectively the newly democratic societies of the former Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe

OMRI has assumed some of the functions of the Research Institute of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc (RFE/RL), which was closed due to sweeping budget cuts at the US government-funded, Munich-based radio service. OMRI had regional headquarters in Prague and offices in the United States.
On 21 November 1996 the restructuring of OMRI was announced, under which several activities/operations were terminated. For example, RFE/RL took over responsibility for publishing a daily electronic digest of news from the region while OMRI continued to provide in-depth research and analysis about the region to the general public through its other publications, such as Transition.
Under this agreement OMRI also transferred the responsibility for being a custodian for the archives assembled by RFE/RL during the post World War II period to the Open Society Archives which at that moment was part of the Open Society Institute. The restructuring took effect in March 1997 and all archival materials were transferred to the Open Society Archives in the same month.

Administrative structure

OMRI was set up as a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of the former Soviet Union and East, Central and Southeastern Europe. Its research facilities were located in Prague and the offices in the United States. According the organizational chart there were an Audience and Opinion Research Department (located in Washington, D.C., USA), Executive Offices, a Research and Analysis Department, a Publications Department, an Information Services Department including Archives and Library, and a Training and Special Projects Department.

The affairs of OMRI were managed by its Board of Directors: George Soros, Daniel A. Mica, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, Aryeh Neier (President, 1996-1997), Karen J. Greenberg (President in 1994-1996), Sanford Ungar, Peter Reddaway, Alexander Smolar (from 1996).
Duncan M. Perry was Executive Director in 1994-1996 and from 1996 august 1 till its closure Trudy Huscamp Peterson took the post.

Relationships

Founded by the Board for the International Broadcasting and the Open Society Institute, OMRI worked in close cooperation with both these organizations, including first of all the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. OMRI was involved in cooperative activities with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s High Commission on National Minorities, the Council of Europe, NATO, the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, the Open Society Foundations and Regional media programs and others.

In addition contacts were established with different information agencies over the region, for example, Albania Telegraph Agency, Baltic Business Weekly, BBC, Runy (Belarus information agency), Central Europe Today, Institute for War and Peace, Kyrgyz News, Moldova Press, Moscow News, Radio Prague, UNIAR (Ukraine), etc., some of them through contracts.

Rules or conventions

ISAAR(CPF): International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families General Intenational Standard Archival Description; OSA Internal Rules.

Dates of description

Described by Olga Zaslavskaya, 1 October 2003
Online version updated 18 December 2008