Russian TV Channels Research Articles

Latvian public service broadcasting (PSB) at a media policy crossroads on the path to public service media (PSM)

This paper critically examines Latvian media policy from the point of view of public value theory, regarding the management of public service media. Since 1992, Latvian Television (LTV, 1954) and Latvian Radio (LR, 1925) officially, i.e. according to law, are independent public service media organisations, and consequently two legal entities. In fact LTV and LR are two state enterprises with one supervising council (five members) elected by parliament according to political proportionality – National Electronic Mass Media Council (the NEPLP). Since 2011, the Latvian government has been slowly deciding plans for the reform and creation of a unified PSM corporation, not just a PSB, i.e. including not only radio and TV broadcasting but a multimedia approach, especially on the Internet platform, due to media convergence. Political decisions of government and parliament for the above-mentioned intent are still wanted. Also, an initiative by LTV and NEPLP to establish a Russian language TV channel was not taken further by decision makers.

Influence of the Russian TV product on the Ukrainian audience

<p>W artykule opisano techniki upowszechniania rzetelnej informacji o Ukrainie w kontekście jej wpływu na społeczeństwo ukraińskie. Należy zauważyć, że obecność rosyjskich kanałów informacyjnych na ukraińskim rynku medialnym jest cześcią składową polityki zagranicznej Federacji Rosyjskiej. Autor stwierdził, że wpływ rosyjskich treści telewizyjnych na umysły ukraińskiego odbiorcy pozostaje znaczący. Próby ograniczenia rosyjskich kanałów informacyjnych przez ukraińskie organy nadzoru są nieskuteczne. Stwierdzono, że zakaz nadawania rosyjskiego przekazu zmusza widzów do szukania alternatywnych sposobów dostępu do rosyjskich kanałów telewizyjnych i zwiększa zainteresowanie nimi. Jednym ze sposobów rozwiązania zaistniałej sytuacji może być przedstawienie bardziej jakościowego i interesującego dla odbiorcy ukraińskiego krajowego produktu informacyjnego.</p>

Modeling of TV News in the Context of Information Policy of a Television Channel

TV viewers build relationships with the outside world, focusing on the news, which is a television interpretation of reality. Media reality is created on the basis of the information policy of TV channels and determines the agenda of the audience. This paper uses M. McCombs' agenda-setting theory, N. Luhmann's cognitive system communication, W. Lippmann's public opinion concept, J. Baudrillard's simulacrum, J. Fiske's code structure, G. Deborah's Performance Society to study television news of Russian TV channels. Based on the systemic, structural-functional, and semiotic approaches, the application of models of communication, information, the cognitive model of the impact of the media on the mass audience and the model of Russian journalism, a TV news projection model was developed in the context of a television channel's information policy. The model was tested on the basis of analysis of 130 news stories of the final weekly news releases of two federal and two regional Russian TV channels. As a result, we have seen that the media reality is constructed as a result of a selection of facts, modeling of meanings and forms of submission of news. The differences in the themes and forms of the news delivery are due to the territorial affiliation and technological development of the channels. In the production process, the journalist acts as an informer, communicator and manipulator, and the news represent a socially constructed and thoroughly edited reality. The media create a similar media reality, a different level of fiction, intended, albeit for the post-Soviet, but still society of centralized spectacle (according to G. Deborah). Translated meanings correspond to the symbolically-oriented mentality of Russians (according to M. Zagidullina). The media reality formed by the TV channels proves that the domestic journalists follow the special Russian way.

The Necessity of the Digital Single Market Strategy for Small Media Markets: Case of the Biggest Video-on-Demand Platforms in Lithuania and Estonia

This article analyzes the biggest Lithuanian and Estonian video-on-demand (VOD) platforms including Telia, their capabilities for fostering European film production and mass media in general. It is important to accentuate that non-linear TV and VOD services are attracting more and more users in Europe, and it is even considered that VOD could become a strong competitor for theatrical releases in film distribution, while, in the context of mass media, the growth of users might be associated with potential threats of propaganda, which still has its own distribution mechanisms within linear TV. However, the audiovisual content that is being supplied for the users of VOD platforms and TV is also regulated by the Audiovisual Media Service Directive (AVMSD). Without regulation, the users of VOD platforms and TV might face a limited choice of audiovisual content. Therefore, the Digital Single Market (DSM) strategy is aimed at creating a single market in Europe and eliminating the geo-blocking that limits user abilities to use VOD services during travel across borders while also establishing better access to digital goods and services at the same time. Looking from the perspective of the VOD platform, a DSM strategy might bring about a monopolization of VOD services in Europe; in that case, the little markets of the Baltic States would suffer. Another important issue that small media markets come across is related to the level of propaganda that is being transmitted from Russian TV channels that are registered in different EU countries. The article argues, and the research results show, that a DSM strategy and the elimination of geo-blocking do not eliminate the problem of fostering European audiovisual content that is and could be available to the users of VOD platforms in Lithuania and Estonia, and that these measures do not pay significant attention to EU’s consumer protection issues.

Лексические средства в речи спортивных комментаторов США и России

A comparative analysis of peculiarities of the use of lexical means by sports commentators of the USA and Russia in the framework of discourses verbalized by two different languages, English and Russian, is carried out. The relevance of the research is due to the strengthening of the personal nature in the sports commentary, which is saturated with specific features and individual author’s emotions. This trend can be demonstrated most clearly through the analysis of lexical means. The material of the study were fragments of sports comments of American and Russian TV channels in gymnastics and tennis in English and Russian. Special attention is paid to the study of lexical means through comparative discourse analysis. The author has identified the features common to the speech of sports commentators of United States and Russia: presence of emotional and evaluative vocabulary, terminology, jargon, professionalisms. It is argued that differences at the lexical level are manifested in quantitative indicators of word consumption. It is proved that American journalists assess the sporting event primarily from the point of view of their professional experience (sports or journalistic), while Russian journalists seek to convey the atmosphere of a sporting event and prove themselves as creative individuals.

Issues of content rating system on Russian TV channels

The article presents the results of an empirical study conducted in January-February 2018, aimed to reveal how Russian television channels are implementing the requirements of the law “On Protection of Children against Information Detrimental to Their Health and Development”. We conducted a review of more than 45,000 broadcasting elements (TV programs, movies, serials, cartoons, etc.), which were aired in early 2018. It turned out that more than half of them did not have any age rating information; also TV channels often used the “16+” mark, although broadcasting elements with it in the interval from 7 AM to 21 PM is a violation of the law; while broadcasting programs rated as “18+” was without any violations. The obtained results allow us to draw a conclusion that this law needs to be improved and the professional training should be held for its competent use in the broadcasting.

Ukrainian crisis through the lens of Russian media: Construction of ideological discourse

The Ukrainian–Russian conflict of 2013–2017 is characterized as ‘hybrid’ warfare, with a crucial role of informational component. Using ideological discourse analytic tools, this article demonstrates how two prominent Russian TV channels shaped the persuasive message, creating strong unity and mobilizing a high level of support among the national audience. Based on legitimation and de-legitimation patterns, Channel One and Russia-1 built ideologically polarized opposition between ‘Our’ and ‘Their’ sides of the conflict. The wide range of editorializing tools, socio-cultural and historical Soviet-time constructs, and references to gay culture served to promote one group and to debase the opposition. Close institutional ties between government and media in Russia sustain multiplicity and intertextuality of ‘general line’, thus eliminating discordant interpretations. The article shows strong evidence that the analyzed TV news programs present a typical illustration of ideological discourse, exploited by the Russian government in order to achieve its political goals.

Gender politics of the ‘war of narratives’: Russian TV-news in the times of conflict in Ukraine

Abstract This article focuses on the gender politics of the news broadcast on the Russian state-controlled TV channels – Channel One (Pervyj kanal), Russia-1 (Rossiya-1), Russia-24 (Rossiya-24), NTV and RT (formerly Russia Today) – from January to September 2015, a period when the TV news closely followed the conflict in Ukraine and the growing tensions between Russia and Europe. The study shows that the news on the state-controlled TV channels interpret the state politics in only one possible way – ascribing the most traditional and essentialist characteristics to the country, prioritizing male actors and military activities and suggesting no alternatives to ‘(re)masculinization’ of the image of Russia in the situation of the conflict on the territory of another state, despite the alleged disengagement of the country in it. The article concludes that the state-controlled TV channels use essentialist gendering as a part of nation-branding and nation-building strategies, with an aim to construct the gendered and intersectionalized ideology of the ‘Russian world’ that would target both internal and external audiences and go beyond the borders of the Russian Federation.

ФОРМУВАННЯ СПРИЙНЯТТЯ АГРЕСІЇ РОСІЙСЬКОЇ ФЕДЕРАЦІЇВ УКРАЇНІ РОСІЙСЬКИМИ ЗМІ НА ПОЧАТКУ 2015 РОКУ

The article examines Russian propaganda over the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine. The research is based on the news stories of Russian TV channel “Pervij Kanal” during January-March 2015. The key topics of news stories were as follows: shelling of residential areas in Donbas by Ukrainian troops; humanity of rebels and their military successes; belligerence and hypocrisy of Ukrainian government; the US influence on Ukrainian government; failed military draft in Ukraine; Russia’s humanitarian aid for residents of the Donbas region. Russian propaganda was intended to discredit Ukrainian authorities and undermine the legitimacy of their actions in Eastern Ukraine. For this purpose Russian media used a set of manipulative techniques that made possible to distort the reality and to mislead the public about the situation in Ukraine.

Economic News and Householdds Decisions

The paper is devoted to the role of information context in dynamics of investments in the Russian Federation. The basis for the study was a selection of news from major Russian TV channels for 2006-2016. The news available to ordinary viewers of the three main Russian television channels was analyzed. News was defined as negative or positive using two methods: according to linguistic characteristics and their economic meaning. In obedience to the results of the study. Increased uncertainty (the spread of positive and negative news) leads to choice of consumption to the detriment of savings, which, thereafter, reduces the investment base of the economy. The authors analyzes the connection of the tonality of news and its changes with the business cycle. The authors found an information cycle that, with some lag, correlates with the business cycle in the Russian Federation. The deviations from the traditional model of rational expectations are investigated, the hypotheses of the “rational inattention” is testing. Based on the study, recommendations are offered for the public policy adjusting. The authors of the work uses methods of correlation-regression analysis and mathematical modeling.

НАУЧНО-ПОПУЛЯРНОЕ ТЕЛЕВИДЕНИЕ НА РОССИЙСКИХ ТЕЛЕКАНАЛАХ: РЕАЛИИ И ПРОБЛЕМЫ

The article is devoted to analysis of the current state of popular science television in Russia. The author reveals the existing problems related to the further sustainable development of this important direction in the activities of Russian TV channels and comes to the conclusion that the lack of qualified science journalists significantly affects the quality of the TV scientific content. In addition, lack of targeted programs for retraining and advanced training of journalists and scientists - popularizers of science. In this regard, the possibilities of optimization of scientific-popular destinations. Special attention is paid to the need for a systematic approach to solving these problems. In particular, the author considers the necessary training not only journalists, but also academic staff - scholars and scientists, able to captivate the audience and to pass on their knowledge to the audience in intelligible promotional style.

TV Moves into Virtual Reality as a Projection of Development

The rapid development of digital technologies has a significant impact on the media market and media systems as a whole. Despite the fact that traditional TV has become the first to have mastered the digital platform and still retains leadership among audiences of different countries, it is also experiencing the pressure of evolutionary technologies. One of these areas is the competitive dynamic development of technological tools to create a virtual reality that completely captures the attention of consumers, especially the younger generation, and plunges them into the space of the surreal world. But is TV actually not familiar with virtual reality or is it just a stereotype, established as a result of the existence of analog TV for several decades in the last century? This author considers the terminological backing of virtual reality and the emergence of this definition as exemplified by cinema and TV, as well as analyzes the signing of the cooperation agreement between the Russian TV channel Digital TV (part of the holding VGTRK) and the largest technology company KROK for the purpose of creating a consortium for the development of virtual reality in the Russian market. The author also addresses the issue of possible consumer awareness manipulation, especially among the younger generation, with the abuses of games and other applications of virtual reality, and reveals dissonance in consumer awareness of the virtual and objective realities in the future. Besides, the trend of development in Russian TV broadcasting is considered, identified in the framework of the International Congress of the National Association of Broadcasters. The author rationalizes the involvement of the younger generation in the world of virtual reality, assuming that it will not only improve the profitability and capitalization of TV as the leading media system, but may also attract target audiences to domestic television viewing.

The Representation of the Federal Elections of 2011 and 2012 in Russia by the Major National Television Channels

The programs of Russian TV channels in the context of electoral campaigns have repeatedly been selected as a subject of social surveys. The proposed paper is based on the results of content analysis of informational programs of the three major channels Pervij, Rossija-1 and NTV – during the Duma campaign of 2011 and the presidential campaign of 2012. The research findings demonstrate the thematic and contextual features of the programs, tones and mentioned persons. It is shown that the representation of the electoral competition was mostly imitative. The governing party (“United Russia”) and the authorities’ candidate (Vladimir Putin) were presented mostly as officials at work, which gave them certain advantages. There were no principal differences in the position of various channels towards the political process. In both cases public political activity increased noticeably after voting: in November 2011 in the form of protest demonstrations, and later in March 2012 in the form of protest and supportive demonstrations.

BRICS summit diplomacy: Constructing national identities through Russian and Chinese media coverage of the fifth BRICS summit in Durban, South Africa

This study identifies, analyses and compares media content produced by Russian and Chinese TV channels surrounding the events of the fifth BRICS summit in Durban, South Africa, in 2013. The study utilizes a comparative frame analysis to deconstruct and explain media messages communicated by Russian and Chinese media representing national identities of the countries through the BRICS summit diplomacy. The study discusses important questions with regard to the cultural, political and economic contexts that shape the perceptions of the roles and ambitions of Russia and China on the world stage. The major findings clearly demonstrate that Russian and Chinese media adopted different rhetorical frames to portray their national identities through the media coverage of the fifth BRICS summit. These positions imply an interior (in the case of China) or a straightforward (in the case of Russia) approach to communicate a form of ‘collective resistance’ to the global arena, where the countries seek larger global recognition and appreciation.

ПРАКТИКИ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ АУДИТОРИИ В ВЕДУЩИХ РОССИЙСКИХ ТЕЛЕКОМПАНИЯХ

The paper covers the modern practices of application of the audience measurements results within large Russian TV channels. The audience measurements are the important source of parameters for mass media performance evaluation. They got traction in all segments of mass information, among which television is the most popular, effective from the point of view of impact and affecting the wide range of target groups. The goal of the research presented by the author in this paper is the study of one of the elements of television company performance – media measurement based on the practices of the audience research in the leading Russian TV companies. To implement the target goal, the author carries out the in-depth interviews with the heads of the audience research departments within Russian TV channels. The in-depth interviews touched upon such subjects as the structure of the audience inner analysis department, types of research carried out or ordered by a television company, the department staff duties, the influence of obtained data on a TV channel viewing grid, and the special aspects of obtaining media-measurements in the regions. The author analyzes and summarizes the obtained data, considers the main directions of the research results application in the TV channels activity, which are the important integral part when studying the whole media-measuring field. The author is the first who attempts to study the audience analysis practices within media companies basing on the experience of the audience measuring departments within Russian television channels. Based on the results of the research, the author determined such problems as the insufficient knowledge of audience in the regions, the limitation of research activity of many channels only by the “TNS Russia” data secondary analysis. The author specifies the differences in the research activity and the application of media measurement data within commercial and state television channels.

Polarised television audiences. The outcomes of the Estonian and European audiovisual media policies

The European Union’s (EU) liberalisation of media policies and its content quality bias towards economic efficiency has resulted in a situation where, in some small markets like Estonia, the audience is divided into two parts. The Russian-speaking audience in Estonia mainly follows Russian state TV channels, and the Estonian-speaking audience watches Estonian television channels. This has happened even though the EU media policy should ensure freedom of information, diversity of opinion and media pluralism. Findings from the Estonian case study show that despite the noble aim of the EU media policy, Estonia has two radically different information fields: Estonian-language media promotes European values, and Russian state media, enjoying high popularity among the Russian speakers, promotes ‘Putin’s values’.The question is whether the EU legal instrument — Audiovisual Me­dia Service Directive (AVMSD) — is an efficient tool when disinformation from third countries is disseminated with the aim of gaining a political in­fluence over the EU member states’ citizens. The recommendation is that the AVMSD should be revised in a way that prevents unfair competition directed from third countries and tools should be developed to compensate for market failures.

MAIN FEATURES OF VIDEO MEDIA FOR PRESCHOOL AUDIENCE

The article focuses on the impact of television on pre-school audience, namely on children from 0 to 6 years in the article. The author carefully analyzed the features of psychological and physical evolution of infantile (early) age group (0-3 years) and preschool children (3-6) ac-cording to which telecast must be created. The author analyzed program schedules of Russian TV channels with the aim to identify the availability of TV programs relevant to each preschool age group.

The Influence of the Marketability Factors on the TV Company

The author studies the problem of the competitive recovery of Russian TV channels and the new ways of achieving commercial success. The Public Limited Company “Channel 1” and the Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company produce and feature similar audio-visual production, have the same market shares and rates of growth, but substantially different competitive edges. Why? The author gives a thorough analysis of the leading media brands, methods of the TV business protection in particular situations and the factors that can influence the management process.

Reforming the Euro-Atlantic Security Architecture: An Opportunity for U.S. Leadership

For the past year and a half, President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia has been pressing the United States and its European allies to open negotiations on a treaty establishing a new Euro-Atlantic secur...

David and Goliath: Georgia and Russia’s Coercive Diplomacy

The military conflict between Georgia and Russia over the separatist region of South Ossetia in August 2008 surprised many within the international community and reinforced growing concerns about a...