Russia/Radio Stations

St. Ptersburgs Times: Ekho Moskvy Celebrates 15 Years of Free Speaking

"As Ekho Moskvy radio turned 15 last week, the country’s most prominent independent-minded station was inundated with plaudits for its professionalism and dedication to freedom of speech from across the political spectrum."

"' Ekho Moskvy fulfills the function of the only objective radio station that says what is really happening in the country,' said Oleg Panfilov, director of the Center for Extreme Journalism. ' It’s difficult to find better journalists who report the news as promptly and without censorship.'

"As well as being the country’s largest private news-based station, Ekho Moskvy was also the first to adopt a talk-radio format."

"Although majority-owned by Gazprom-Media since 2001, the station remains one of the country’s last independent broadcast media, with its journalists retaining editorial independence through their blocking 34 percent stake in the company."

Belarus/Radio Broadcasts/EU

RFE/RL: European Commission To Fund Pro-Democracy Radio Broadcasts

"The European Commission said today it will start funding independent radio broadcasts to Belarus starting from 1 November. The commission has contracted the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle to carry out the program, which may also extend to the Internet. The scheme originally intended to run for one year. Officials in Brussels say the planned broadcasts are intended to increase awareness among the Belarusian population about democracy, human rights, and other issues. But pro-democracy circles in Belarus have criticized the plan, saying Deutsche Welle should broadcast in Belarusian - not Russian."

Russia/New Magazine

Yahoo! Finance: Ziff Davis Launches Foreign Editions in Brazil, Russia and Mexico

"Ziff Davis announced today that it has joined forces with several leading international media partners, Editorial Televisa, Conrad Editora and (game) Land, to launch three new foreign editions of PC Magazine and Sync. These new foreign editions, which will provide product reviews, expert advice and entertaining features, to serve the demands of IT professionals and consumers in the world's fastest growing and emerging technology markets."

"' We couldn't be more excited to extend our brands into countries as diverse as Brazil, Mexico and Russia,' " said Kristin Holmes, Vice President, International Licensing, Ziff Davis. ' With these latest international editions of PC Magazine and Sync, Ziff Davis Media's international network is stronger than ever, and the capabilities we can offer to our clients are truly global.' "

Russia/Media Landscape/Comments on Kasyanov´s comments

RIA Novosti: Opinion: Kasyanov - the messenger vs. the message

"None of Kasyanov's criticisms of Kremlin policies is new, or his own invention. However, what is more than disingenuous is the fact that Kasyanov was prime minister when almost all the ' negative tendencies' he cites were coming about."

"Kasyanov's comments on state control of electronic media, particularly television, cast doubt on his integrity. Never once did he speak out when the Kremlin wrestled control of television from Russia's oligarchs. Kasyanov's comment that 'the judiciary is increasingly servile' sounds like selective memory serving self-interests - the business groups he is associated with have been among the major beneficiaries of Russia's "servile" legal system."

Russia/Media Landscape

MosNews.com: A Blueprint for Russia

Former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov:

"The Government and Parliament can no longer function without daily instructions and the judiciary is increasingly servile. Not even a single independent central television station exists any longer. Moreover, the state continues to increase its grip over electronic and print media. The abolition of the election of regional governors and the corresponding destruction of the municipal level of power add to the systemic crisis."

Ukraine/New Media Landscape

Eurasia Daily Monitor: Ukrainian parties scramble for media

"When the Ukrainian parliament reconvenes in early September, the March 2006 parliamentary election campaign will officially begin. Over the summer Ukrainian political parties have been energetically seeking media resources (especially television) and foreign support."

"Since Viktor Yushchenko became president, several television channels have changed hands. The big losers have been the three oligarchic clans who were the bedrock of support for ex-president Leonid Kuchma's regime and their related political parties. The Social Democratic Party-United (SDPUo) had directly controlled directly State Television Channel One, Inter, and, indirectly, 1+1. The last two channels are the largest in Ukraine."

"Channel 1 is now under Yushchenko's control. Inter's president died in June and the new CEO is likely to be Valeriy Khoroshkovskiy (Ukrayinska pravda, June 30). Khoroshkovskiy is a protégé of oligarch Viktor Pinchuk (Kuchma's son-in-law) who financed the Winter Crop Generation party that Khoroshkovskiy jointly led in the 2002 election. Under Khoroshkovskiy Inter TV will be far less confrontational toward Yushchenko than it was in the Kuchma era, when it became the main anti-Yushchenko television channel."

Russia/International tv-channel - Russia Today

Russia Today: Russia To Launch 24-Hour English News TV Channel

"Russia has launched a new, round-the-clock, English-language television news project called Russia Today. It will be broadcast in the U.S., Europe, Russia, the CIS, and several Asian states and is the first project of its kind undertaken in Russia."

"We carefully studied the experience of countries that have national networks broadcasting to foreign states. The television channels CNN, BBC World, Euronews, and Al Jazeera are well known throughout the world."

"Germany, Japan, China, Italy, Israel, South Korea, Kazakhstan, and many other countries also broadcast television shows in English. The time has come for Russia, an increasingly dynamic participant in globalization, to appear in the international television medium."

"The Russia Today channel will promptly provide information about Russia to the general public abroad, giving people the opportunity to learn about the Russian perspective of world events, forming a positive image of Russia abroad, and creating a familiar information climate for compatriots living outside Russia."

Hungary/TV

C21medianet: MTM sells TV2 stake to Hungarian start-up

"Hungary's TV2 has come under new ownership after the broadcaster's ceo Gabor Kereszty bought out MTM Communications' original stake in the joint-venture with SBS Broadcasting."

"Kereszty, together with TV2 board member, Dr Gabor Benke, has set up a new company called VT2, which has bought out MTM Communications' 16% share of the TV2 business."

Russia/Foreign Media Giants/MTG

C21Medianet: MTG lifts stake in Russian net

"The race for Russia continues, as broadcasters from Europe and beyond continue to lift their stakes in broadcasters in the burgeoning Eastern European market whenever possible."

"Scandinavian media conglom Modern Times Group is the latest, increasing its share in Moscow-based commercial broadcaster CTC Media by 3.3% to 43.1%. Through its Viasat Broadcasting arm, MTG first bought into CTC three years ago, and through local companies also controls Russian channel DTV."

Russia/International tv-news-channel

The Age: Russia's 'CNN' wants to tell it like it is

"Russia is to launch a 24-hour English-language TV news channel similar to CNN, in an effort to project an image of its own choosing across the world.It also wants to correct the 'erroneous' Anglo-American stereotypes about its people."

"A Russian CNN may sound far-fetched but the project is already well advanced, and the channel, to be called Russia Today, is expected to go on air as early as next month."

"Just like CNN, its reach will be vast. Offering a mix of international news ' from a Russian perspective' as well as domestic news, it will be broadcast on cable and satellite TV throughout Europe, the UK, the US and parts of Asia, as well as in the former Soviet Union and Russia itself. With 500 staff, including 200 journalists, it will have bureaus in London, Washington, Jerusalem and Brussels, and be based in central Moscow."

Russia/Piracy

MosNews.com: Copyright Piracy Situation Seriously Improved in Russia — Official

"Russia has been excluded from the International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI) blacklist of top ten copyright violators, Alexander Romanenkov, the deputy head of Russia’s Federal Office for Media Law Enforcement and Cultural Heritage Protection announced."

"In an interview with RIA Novosti Romanenkov said that thanks to effective efforts by domestic law-enforcement agencies, Russia’s share in global music piracy has now been cut to 7.3%."

"As MosNews reported earlier, the turnover of Russian pirated music recordings exceeded $312 billion for 2004. Meanwhile, according to the IFPI official web-site IN June 2005 Russia occupied the eight position on the blacklist, led by Brazil."

Russia/Media Giants/News Corp.

Business Week: Murdoch wants part of independent Ren-TV - and the Kremlin may O.K. it

"When media mogul Rupert Murdoch and a small group of American executives met Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in St. Petersburg this June, the News Corp. chief broached a controversial issue: Was the Kremlin ever going to lift its virtual monopoly on Russia's national TV networks? For Murdoch, it was a burning question. The increasingly lucrative Russian TV market is one of the few beyond his global reach. The surprise answer from Putin: There may be room for competition after all."

"From the Kremlin's perspective, Murdoch might prove the ideal foreign investor. The Australian-born media mogul is accustomed to dealing with authoritarian regimes. In China, for instance, his satellite network Star TV stopped broadcasting the BBC in 1994 for fear of offending Beijing authorities."

"Murdoch is no stranger to Russia. News Corp. already has about a quarter of the $800 million outdoor advertising market and has investments in two Russian radio stations. Nearly two years ago the company sought to acquire a stake in the satellite arm of No. 4 broadcaster NTV, which is owned by state-controlled Gazprom, but was rebuffed. ' We've been looking closely at the Russian TV market for a long time,' says Marty Pompadur, News Corp.'s chairman for Europe."

Russia/Media giants/Gazprom

Kommersant: Gazprom Media Estimated to Be Worth $700 Million

"Gazprom yesterday completed a deal to transfer its media assets to its subsidiary Gazprombank in exchange for 100 percent of the stock in Gazoenergeticheskaya Co. The value of its media assets were estimated at more than $700 million. Experts say that Gazprom's desire to transfer those assets to its subsidiary is related to the liberalization of Gazprom stock. Gazoenergeticheskaya Co.'s main asset is 5.3 percent of the stock in RAO UES of Russia."

"Gazprom Media is the largest non-state-owned media holding in Russia. It includes controlling packages in NTV, NTV Plus and TNT television channels, several radio stations, including Ekho Moskvy, and the Seven Days publishing company. The consolidated income of the holding's companies in 2004 was $556 million."

Russia/News Corp.

The Guardian: News Corp. faces Russian bidding war

"Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation looks set to become embroiled in a bidding war with rival Russian investors as it tries to strengthen its position in the Russian media market. Local news agency Interfax reported last week that News Corp was holding negotiations to acquire a stake in Ren-TV, the only remaining major television channel in Russia that is not under state control."

"But now the original founders of Ren-TV have announced their intention to win back some control of the channel, which broadcasts to more than 700 cities and towns. A spokesman for Ren-TV said today that the station's founders, Irena and Dmitry Lesnevsky, have begun negotiating to buy back their shares in the channel just a month after selling their 30% stake."

"The size of the stake that the Murdoch empire could acquire is restricted by a law that says no foreign or Russian entity that has foreign shareholders can own more than 50% of a TV channel."

"News Corp already owns a street-advertising business in Russia and the popular radio station Nashe Radio. But if successful, a News Corp bid for Ren-TV would mark the first time the global media empire has been able to get a serious foothold in Russian television."

Russia/Newspapers



RFE/RL: NEW OWNER DISCUSSES PLANS FOR 'NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA

"Konstantin Remchukov, who recently purchased the daily ' Nezavisimaya gazeta,'
told Ekho Moskvy radio on 8 August that he plans to retain the newspaper's general director, Rustam Narzikulov, and Editor in Chief Tatyana Koshkareva. Narzikulov and Koshkareva have run the newspaper since 2001, when the previous owner, Boris Berezovskii, fired Vitalii
Tretyakov, who had edited ' Nezavisimaya gazeta' since its creation in 1990."

"Remchukov said he will search for new leadership at the daily only if Narzikulov and Koshkareva decline his offer. He also praised the newspaper's current journalists, but said he plans to hire additional writers. Remchukov explained that he sees ' Nezavisimaya gazeta' occupying a market niche for ' quality interpretation and analysis,' rather than competing with major news agencies and Internet news sources. "

"Technically, Remchukov's wife, Yelena Remchukova, is the owner of the newspaper, because Remchukov's position as adviser in the Economic Development and Trade Ministry restricts his outside business activities (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5 August 2005). However, Remchukova has not spoken publicly about the daily and appears unlikely to play an active management role. In contrast, Remchukov speaks freely in interviews about his reasons for buying the newspaper "just business," he claims, not politics and his plans. "

Source:

(RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 9, No. 149, Part I, 9 August 2005)

Russia/Weeklies

RFE/RL

"Motherland leader Rogozin on 5 August confirmed that his party will sign a cooperation agreement this month with Aleksandr Prokhanov, editor of the weekly ' Zavtra,' Interfax reported."

"However, Rogozin denied rumors that Motherland will buy the weekly or turn it into a ' party organ.' He said that ' Zavtra' is a well-known "patriotic brand" in Russia and is ' ideologically close to us.' Prokhanov also denied that the weekly is for sale, telling Interfax that ' Zavtra' is a ' sovereign publication.'"

"Prokhanov said the editorial collective decided to turn away from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF), ' with whom we very closely cooperated' over the course of a decade, toward Motherland. ' The KPRF has newspapers that are close to it, but Motherland does not have its own publication, and we consider it good to ideologically feed this young movement, which is not yet standing on its own feet.' "

Source:
(RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 9, No. 148, Part I, 8 August 2005)

Russia/Foreign Correspondence


RIA Novosti: Russia could reduce Radio Liberty's correspondent network

"The Russian Foreign Ministry may take measures to reduce the number of correspondents working for Radio Liberty/ Free Europe after its journalist Andrei Babitsky interviewed Russia's most wanted terrorist, Shamil Basayev, for U.S. television network ABC."

"A spokesman for the ministry said ABC's assertion that the interview had been broadcast at Babitsky's initiative was ridiculous."

"According to the source, RL/FE used loopholes in Russian legislation in the sector of information and immense foreign resources to create an extensive network of freelance correspondents in Russia. The spokesman said this was prohibited by Russian media laws."

"The source said the Foreign Ministry would consider the possibility of restricting the activity of the radio station's correspondents in Russia."

Russia/Mass Media Markets

Kommersant: Mass Media 2000-2004

"The media industry in Russia has grown steadily and rapidly in the last four years, primarily through growth of the advertising market. During this time, advertising revenues have nearly tripled from $1.1 billion in 2000 to $3.1 billion (forecast) in 2004. However, the growth was generally not the result of an increase in television audiences or increased circulation but of so-called media inflation – an increase in the cost of placing advertisements caused by the recovery of the market after the 1998 crisis. This is shown, for example, by the fact that the combined circulation of print media hardly increased at all in those four years and just barely exceeded pre-crisis levels, although the number of registered publications increased 1.5 times to 41 000."

Latvia/Broadcasting/Berezovsky

MosNews.com: Putin´s Critic Berezovsky Buys Tv Channel in Latvia - Paper


"Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky, once a powerful Kremlin insider and now a staunch critic of President Vladimir Putin’s policies has bought a TV-Channel in neighboring Latvia, a local newspaper Chas reported on Thursday."

"The TV5 channel changed hands in the last week on July, the newspaper reported. The channel’s PR service said that all its shares had been bought by the Bete limited liability company."

"However, the newspaper quoted some non-official sources as saying that the real buyer of the TV5 channel was Boris Berezovsky. "

"The paper wrote that Berezovsky visited Latvia’s capital Riga in February and told a news conference that he might have business interest in the country, particularly in its real estate and media sectors. ' It is very probable that some political forces in Russia want to make Latvia a center of anti-Putin opposition,' the newspaper wrote."

Estonia/Magazines

Guardian: FHM targets international markets

"Internationally, Spain is the magazine's best market. When the magazine launched there it grew to sell 250,000 copies, smashing the 100,000 circulation of DT, the previous men's market leader. The toughest market is Estonia.' We launched there about 18 months ago and that's proved to be difficult as copy sales are under 10,000, which makes it difficult to make money,' the Emap director said."

Russia/Broadcasting

RFE/RL: Government prepares state tv reforms to create ' public' networks

"The Culture and Trade and Economic Development ministries are jointly drafting legislation on ' public television and radio' that envisages the transformation of state stations into new public entities, strana.ru reported on 2 August. The draft reportedly sets out "strict obligations as far as objectivity and pluralism of information is concerned," strana.ru reported. Meanwhile, the government is purportedly preparing amendments to the Criminal and Administrative codes that will prescribe punishments for denying access to information or hampering the work of journalists, strana.ru reported."

Source: RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 9, No. 145, Part I, 3 August 2005

Russia/Foreign Media Companies/Google/St. Petersburg

MosNews.com: Google to Start Operations in Russia’s St. Petersburg, Hire 3000

"Google may set up operations at Russia’s new IT Park in St. Petersburg. ' We spoke with Google representatives, and they seemed very keen on the idea,' Russia’s deputy IT and communications minister, Dmitry Milovantsev, was quoted by the media as saying."

"Google’s partner will be the St. Petersburg-based Bonch-Bruyevich State University of Telecommunications. The Internet giant’s spokeswoman was quoted by The Moscow Times newspaper as saying ' we are very interested in Russia and are working to learn more about this important market. We will continue exploring business opportunities in Russia.' "

"Google’s operations at the new IT Park may employ up to 3,000 workers. The park is set to open as early as 2008 and will require an estimated $1 billion in investment, the dean at the university, Alexander Gogol, said. The project will be financed by federal and regional authorities, the World Bank and the tenant companies at the park."

Russia/Foreign Media Companies/News Corp.


RIA Novosti: Opinion: For Murdoch it is always money before politics

"Murdoch is no stranger to Russia's media market. News Corp is already a significant player in the street advertising sector, announcing last month that it would invest over $130 million in this very lucrative business. Two years ago News Corp was in negotiations to purchase a stake in NTV; eventually Gazprom took possession of the network."

"It is not surprising that News Corp remains keen to expand its presence in Russia. Russia's total advertising market grew 33% in 2004, to $3.85 billion. Television advertising increased 37% during the same period, to $1.7 billion. According to market experts, Russia's total advertising market is expected to expand, with television advertising growing faster than the entire sector and valued in the area of $18 billion over the next few years. Murdoch has a proven track record around the world when it comes to investing in media assets, and Russia is his next logical target."

Russia/Foreign Correspondence

Christian Science Monitor/Daniel Schorr: Russia cracks old whip at foreign press
"I felt that old déjà vu when Vladimir Putin banned ABC News from operating in Russia. It was the first official crackdown on foreign journalists since Soviet times."

"In 1958, the CBS Moscow bureau, which I'd opened, was ordered closed by Nikita Khrushchev's government, enraged over a Playhouse Ninety production, ' The Plot to Kill Stalin,' which suggested Khrushchev had been complicit in Stalin's death. We tried, in vain, to explain that CBS News had no connection with CBS Entertainment. The bureau stayed closed for two years."

"ABC's sin, in the Kremlin's eyes, was broadcasting an interview with Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev, who has a $10 million price on his head. The interview was obtained by a Russian freelancer. No matter. Mr. Putin wasn't amused. The Ministry of Interior said the interview amounted to ' propaganda for terrorism.' "

See more: CNN: Basayev interview: Russia bars ABC

Russia/Broadcasting

Ria Novosti: Russia to launch science TV channel

"Russia will soon have an all-science satellite television channel of its own, based on the same concept as the Discovery channel, a prominent media figure said Monday."

"Valery Ruzin, vice president of the Eurasian Television and Radio Academy, one of the co-founding organizations, told a RIA Novosti news conference that the channel, The World of Knowledge, was being set up in association with Moscow City Hall and that it would likely begin broadcasting by the end of this year. Several private regional broadcasters, such as Ukraine's Inter, may also contribute to the project, he said."

Russia/Broadcasting

Washington Post/AP: News Corp. in Talks for Russian TV Stake

"News Corp., the global media conglomerate controlled by Rupert Murdoch, is in talks to acquire a minority stake in a Russian television station, an official close to the talks said Monday."

"Top News Corp. executives met Monday for talks with senior executives from the Russian industrial conglomerate Severstal, which owns a majority stake in the Moscow-based REN TV network, Severstal spokeswoman Olga Antonova said."

"An official familiar with the talks, who asked not to be named because the talks are in progress, said News Corp. wants to buy 35 percent of REN TV."

"REN TV broadcasts in more than 700 towns and cities throughout Russia, and its news coverage is considered liberal compared with the country's three state-controlled national channels."

"Severstal, which is controlled by metals tycoon Alexei Mordashov, purchased a 70 percent stake in REN TV from state electricity monopoly Unified Energy Systems for $100 million in July. German media company Bertelsmann AG holds the remaining 30 percent stake."

Murdoch and other top U.S. and German executives met for closed-door discussions with President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg in June.

"News Corp. is one of the largest global media companies with properties including the Twentieth Century Fox movie studio, the HarperCollins book publishing unit, British satellite network BSkyB and newspapers in London, New York and Australia."

"The company is also a major player in Russia's advertising billboards market."

Poland/Springer

Bloomberg:

"Since taking charge at Springer in 2002, Chief Executive Officer Mathias Doepfner, 42, a former journalist, has beaten established competitors in new markets. The company's Fakt tabloid became Poland's most-read newspaper two months after its October 2003 debut. Doepfner more than doubled Springer's profit in the past two years to 142.9 million euros by cutting jobs and selling such units as book publisher Ullstein Heyne List."

" ' Poland shows that Springer has a very fine feeling for what readers and advertising customers want,' says Tom Shrager, a managing director at New York-based fund manager Tweedy, Browne Co., which owns 7 percent of Springer. ' Regardless of what issue he tackles, Mathias is one of those people who always wants to win.' Shrager says Tweedy Browne would support an offer for ProSiebenSat.1 if the price was right."

Read more

Russia/Int. media

RFE/RL

"The Russian Foreign Ministry on 29 July strongly condemned the U.S. ABC television network for broadcasting an interview with radical Chechen field commander Shamil Basaev, who claimed responsibility for the September 2004 Beslan school hostage taking and several other bloody raids and for whom the Kremlin has set a $10 million reward, international media reported."

"The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on 29 July that it will not deny ABC accreditation despite the announcement by Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov earlier the same day that his ministry will boycott the network."

Russia/Internet

BBC: Number of Russian internet sites rises by over 20 per cent since start of 2005


"The number of registered internet sites in the Russian segment of the web has risen by more than 20 per cent since the beginning of the year, Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reported on 30 July."

"The agency quoted data from the regional web information centre, which handles almost 70 per cent of domain registrations, which said that the number of domains rose from 305,000 to 368,000. The web information centre also said that the proportion of legal entities owning sites had fallen from 60 per cent to under half."

"Around 50 per cent of sites are registered in Moscow, and 8 per cent in St Petersburg, TASS reported. It also quoted the information centre as saying that the proportion of foreign-owned sites has risen to 3-4 per cent."