Channel One (Russia)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Channel One (Russian: Пе́рвый кана́л, Pervy Kanal) is one of Russia's most highly rated TV channels with the widest reception area. According to a recent government publication, the Russian government controls 51% of its shares. Its headquarters are in the Technical Center "Ostankino" near the Ostankino Tower, Moscow.

ORT (ОРТ—Общественное Российское Телевидение, Public Russian Television) was founded in 1994 to replace the Soviet Channel One, while maintaining its traditional programs and shows, such as KVN, Chto? Gde? Kogda?, V mire zhivotnykh and Klub puteshestvennikov. ORT began broadcasting in 1995, with the prominent TV journalist Vladislav Listyev as its leader.

However, following Listyev's assassination in March 1995, Boris Berezovsky, the leading shareholder of ORT, took control of operations. Berezovsky claims that in 2001 he was forced by the Putin administration to sell his shares. Soon after Berezovsky's withdrawal, the new ownership changed the channel's name to Pervy Kanal. The current General Director of Channel One is Konstantin Ernst. Currently Channel One's minority shares are held by three little-known companies, ORT-KB, Eberlink-2002, and Rastrkom. Some speculate that these companies are owned by Roman Abramovich, although this claim lacks definitive proof.

[edit] Political coverage

Russian television media in the Putin era are being criticized for the pro-government bias. The critics charge that Channel One's news and information programs are frequently used for propaganda purposes. These critics contend that Channel One airs a disproportionate amount of stories focusing on positive aspects of official government policy, while largely neglecting certain controversial topics such as war in Chechnya or social problems. In addition, some have argued that the station's news reports often blur the line between factual reporting and editorial commentary, especially when broadcasting stories concerning Russian government policies or goals. For example, during the 2004 Ukrainian Presidential elections, many political observers believe the Russian government actively supported the candidacy of then Ukrainian Prime-minister Viktor Yanukovich. Similarly, in an October 13, 2004 news story, Channel One reporter Natalya Kondratuk declared that "the Premier [Yanukovich], as a candidate, is adding to his ratings by working on the economy and by solving current social problems; he does not use slogans; he is not criticizing his opponent; and he is not creating scandals. Yushchenko’s style of campaigning is diametrically opposite."

In another controversial example, on a January 23, 2005 broadcast, in the midst of widespread protests against a new reform of Russia's social benefits system (L'goty), a Channel One anchor opined, "you can understand, and should understand, those who went out on the streets, but you also have to understand that the old system has completely outlived its use." Later, in the same story, a reporter characterized those protesting against the reforms as political opportunists, adding, "criticizing the reform is good PR." A few days later, on January 27, 2005, as the protests continued across Russia, a Channel One reporter noted, "You can understand the elderly [protestors, but] repealing free [bus] fares was the last hope for public transport."

Similarly, on a February 12, 2005 broadcast, a Channel One anchor declared, "The key question of the week has been: how are Presidents Saakashvili (of the Republic of Georgia) and Yushchenko (of Ukraine) different? At first, it seemed the difference was only in their appearance, in all other ways, they were like characters from the film 'Attack of the Clones' for us." Critics of Channel One news argue that hundreds of similar examples exist where station news reporters and anchors insert editorial commentary into news reports, almost always to commend perceived allies of Russia or criticize perceived enemies.

[edit] Channel One movies

Channel One remains the most prosperous of Russian TV channels and wields the largest budget by far. Most recently, it produced three of the highest-grossing Russian movies ever, Night Watch (2004), Turkish Gambit (2005), and Day Watch (2006).