Media of Russia
Encyclopedia
Media of Russia is diverse, with a wide range of broadcast and print outlets are available to the consumer. In total, there are 93,000 media outlets in Russia, including 27,000 newspapers and magazines and 330 television channels. Television is the most popular source of information. There are three television channels with a nationwide outreach, and a multitude of regional channels. Local and national newspapers are the second most popular choice, while the Internet comes third. In all media spheres there is a mixture of private and state-ownership.
Although most of the Russian population gets its news from television, there is a glaring lack of diversity in the broadcast media. According to Reporters without Borders
, the Russian media is overall under state and self-censorship
.
in 2005.
Newspapers are the second most popular media in Russia, after television. Local newspapers are more popular than national ones, with 27% of Russians consulting local newspapers routinely and 40% reading them occasionally. For national newspapers, the corresponding figures are 18% and 38%.
According to figures from the National Circulation Service agency, the most popular newspaper is Argumenty i Fakty
which has a circulation of 2.9 million. It is followed by Weekly Life (1.9 million), TV Guide (1.2 million) and Perm Region
Izvestiya (1 million). However, only about half of all Russian newspapers are registered with the agency. Some of the leading newspapers in Russia are tabloids, including Zhizn
. The most important business newspapers are Vedomosti
and the influential Kommersant
. Many newspapers are opposition-leaning, such as the critical Nezavisimaya Gazeta
and Novaya Gazeta
, which is known for its investigative journalism. The main English-language newspapers are Moscow Times, St Petersburg Times and Moscow News
. 6 of the 10 most circulated Russian newspapers are based in Moscow, while the other 4 are based in other cities and regions.
, the most popular channel was First Channel (22.9%), followed by Rossiya (22.6%). The survey responders' local TV company was third with a rating of 12.3%. The three national TV channels provide both news and entertainment, while the most popular entertainment-only channels are STS (10.3% rating) and TNT (6.7%). The most popular sports channel is Russia 2 (formerly Sport; rating 1.8%), while the most popular culture channel is Russia K (formerly Kultura; rating 2.5%). Russia K and Russia 2 have the third and fourth largest coverage of all Russian TV channels, with Russia K reaching 78.9% of the urban and 36.2% of the rural population and Russia 2 reaching 51.5% and 15.6%, respectively.
Regional television is relatively popular in Russia, and according to a 2005 report by TNS Gallup Media, regional audiences rely mainly on news and analysis provided by regional channels.
of which the state owns 50.002%. These three channels have often came under criticism for being biased towards the United Russia
party and the Presidential Administration of Russia
. They are accused of providing disproportionate and uncritical coverage of United Russia and their candidates. The channels do, however, provide large amounts of free airtime to all opposition election candidates, as required by law. During the Russian presidential election, 2008
, the four presidential candidates all received 21 hours of airtime on the three main channels to debate each other and present their views. According to research conducted by Professor Sarah Oates, most Russians believe that news reporting on the three national television channels is selective and unbalanced, but view this as approriate. The responders to the study made it clear that they believe the role of state television should be to provide central authority and order in troubled times.
(coverage: 96.9% of the population), Radio Mayak
(92.4%) and Radio Yunost
(51.0%). Although most radio stations focus on broadcasting music, they also offer some news and analysis. Especially famous is the independent station Echo of Moscow
, known for its anti-government political programs.
Although most of the Russian population gets its news from television, there is a glaring lack of diversity in the broadcast media. According to Reporters without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
, the Russian media is overall under state and self-censorship
Self-censorship
Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one's own work , out of fear of, or deference to, the sensibilities of others, without overt pressure from any specific party or institution of authority...
.
The press
Russia has very wide range of print media. There are over 400 daily newspapers, covering every field, and offering all kinds of perspectives. The total number of newspapers in Russia is 8,978, and they have a total annual circulation of 8.2 billion copies. There are also 6,698 magazines and periodicals with a total annual circulation of 1.6 billion copies. Russia has the largest number of newspaper journalists in the world (102,300), followed by China (82,849) and the United States (54,134), according to statistics published by UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in 2005.
Newspapers are the second most popular media in Russia, after television. Local newspapers are more popular than national ones, with 27% of Russians consulting local newspapers routinely and 40% reading them occasionally. For national newspapers, the corresponding figures are 18% and 38%.
According to figures from the National Circulation Service agency, the most popular newspaper is Argumenty i Fakty
Argumenty i fakty
Argumenty i Fakty is a weekly newspaper based in Moscow and a publishing house in Russia and worldwide. As of 2008, it is owned by Promsvyazbank and the newspaper is edited by Nikolay Zyatkov.- History :...
which has a circulation of 2.9 million. It is followed by Weekly Life (1.9 million), TV Guide (1.2 million) and Perm Region
Perm Oblast
Until December 1, 2005, Perm Oblast was a federal subject of Russia in Privolzhsky Federal District. According to the results of the referendum held in October 2004, Perm Oblast was merged with Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug to form Perm Krai.The oblast was named after its administrative center,...
Izvestiya (1 million). However, only about half of all Russian newspapers are registered with the agency. Some of the leading newspapers in Russia are tabloids, including Zhizn
Zhizn
Zhizn was a Russian magazine published first in Saint Petersburg , then in London and Geneva .Zhizn began its existence as a general purpose magazine in January 1897. For the first two years it was edited, at various times, by S. V. Voejkov, D. M. Ostafyev, M. V. Kalitin, and M. S. Ermolaev and...
. The most important business newspapers are Vedomosti
Vedomosti
Vedomosti is a Russian language business daily. It is a joint venture between Dow Jones, the Financial Times and Sanoma, publishers of The Moscow Times....
and the influential Kommersant
Kommersant
Kommersant is a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia. , the circulation was 131,000.- History :The newspaper was initially published in 1909, and it was closed down following the Bolshevik seizure of power and the introduction of censorship in 1917.In 1989, with the onset of press...
. Many newspapers are opposition-leaning, such as the critical Nezavisimaya Gazeta
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
Nezavisimaya Gazeta is a Russian daily newspaper. Published since December 21, 1990.Information ranging from a wide variety of sources, such as reporters, political scientists, historians, art historians, as well as critics are published in the newspaper...
and Novaya Gazeta
Novaya Gazeta
Novaya Gazeta is a Russian newspaper well known in the country for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs....
, which is known for its investigative journalism. The main English-language newspapers are Moscow Times, St Petersburg Times and Moscow News
Moscow News
The Moscow News, which began publication in 1930, is Russia’s oldest English-language publication newspaper. Many of its feature articles used to be translated from the now defunct Russian Moskovskiye Novosti.-History:...
. 6 of the 10 most circulated Russian newspapers are based in Moscow, while the other 4 are based in other cities and regions.
Main newspapers
- Komsomolskaya PravdaKomsomolskaya PravdaKomsomolskaya Pravda is a daily Russian tabloid newspaper, founded on March 13th, 1925. It is published by "Izdatelsky Dom Komsomolskaya Pravda" .- History :...
- mass circulation, left-leaning daily - KommersantKommersantKommersant is a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia. , the circulation was 131,000.- History :The newspaper was initially published in 1909, and it was closed down following the Bolshevik seizure of power and the introduction of censorship in 1917.In 1989, with the onset of press...
- daily, business-orientated - Moskovskij Komsomolets - popular daily
- IzvestiaIzvestiaIzvestia is a long-running high-circulation daily newspaper in Russia. The word "izvestiya" in Russian means "delivered messages", derived from the verb izveshchat . In the context of newspapers it is usually translated as "news" or "reports".-Origin:The newspaper began as the News of the...
- popular daily - Rossiyskaya GazetaRossiyskaya GazetaRossiyskaya Gazeta is a Russian government daily newspaper of record which publishes the official decrees, statements and documents of state bodies...
- government-owned daily - Nezavisimaya GazetaNezavisimaya GazetaNezavisimaya Gazeta is a Russian daily newspaper. Published since December 21, 1990.Information ranging from a wide variety of sources, such as reporters, political scientists, historians, art historians, as well as critics are published in the newspaper...
- pro-opposition privately owned daily - Trud - left-leaning daily
- Argumenty i FaktyArgumenty i faktyArgumenty i Fakty is a weekly newspaper based in Moscow and a publishing house in Russia and worldwide. As of 2008, it is owned by Promsvyazbank and the newspaper is edited by Nikolay Zyatkov.- History :...
- popular weekly - Novaya GazetaNovaya GazetaNovaya Gazeta is a Russian newspaper well known in the country for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs....
- twice-weekly, known for its investigative journalism - VedomostiVedomostiVedomosti is a Russian language business daily. It is a joint venture between Dow Jones, the Financial Times and Sanoma, publishers of The Moscow Times....
- The Moscow TimesThe Moscow TimesThe Moscow Times is an English-language daily newspaper published in Moscow, Russia since 1992. The circulation in 2008 stood at 35,000 copies and the newspaper is typically given out for free at places English-language "expats" attend, including hotels, cafés and restaurants, as well as by...
- English-language daily - The Moscow News - English-language weekly
Television
Television is the most popular media in Russia, with 74% of the population watching national television channels routinely and 59% routinely watching regional channels. There are 330 television channels in total. 3 channels have a nationwide outreach (over 90% coverage of the Russian territory): First Channel, Rossiya and NTV. According to 2005 television ratingsAudience measurement
Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
, the most popular channel was First Channel (22.9%), followed by Rossiya (22.6%). The survey responders' local TV company was third with a rating of 12.3%. The three national TV channels provide both news and entertainment, while the most popular entertainment-only channels are STS (10.3% rating) and TNT (6.7%). The most popular sports channel is Russia 2 (formerly Sport; rating 1.8%), while the most popular culture channel is Russia K (formerly Kultura; rating 2.5%). Russia K and Russia 2 have the third and fourth largest coverage of all Russian TV channels, with Russia K reaching 78.9% of the urban and 36.2% of the rural population and Russia 2 reaching 51.5% and 15.6%, respectively.
Regional television is relatively popular in Russia, and according to a 2005 report by TNS Gallup Media, regional audiences rely mainly on news and analysis provided by regional channels.
Ownership structure
Two of the three main channels are majority owned by the state. First Channel is 51% publicly owned, while Rossiya is 100% state-owned through the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK). NTV is a commercial channel, but it is owned by Gazprom-Media, a subsidiary of GazpromGazprom
Open Joint Stock Company Gazprom is the largest extractor of natural gas in the world and the largest Russian company. Its headquarters are in Cheryomushki District, South-Western Administrative Okrug, Moscow...
of which the state owns 50.002%. These three channels have often came under criticism for being biased towards the United Russia
United Russia
United Russia is a centrist political party in Russia and the largest party in the country, currently holding 315 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. The party was founded in December 2001, through a merger of the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties...
party and the Presidential Administration of Russia
Presidential Administration of Russia
The Presidential Administration of Russia ) is the executive office of Russia's president created by a decree of Boris Yeltsin on 19 July 1991 as an institution supporting the activity of the president and vice-president The Presidential Administration of Russia (also known as Staff of Russia’s...
. They are accused of providing disproportionate and uncritical coverage of United Russia and their candidates. The channels do, however, provide large amounts of free airtime to all opposition election candidates, as required by law. During the Russian presidential election, 2008
Russian presidential election, 2008
The Russian Presidential election of 2008, held on March 2, 2008 resulted in the election of Dmitry Medvedev as the third President of Russia. Medvedev, whose candidacy was supported by incumbent president Vladimir Putin and five political parties , received 71% of the vote, and defeated...
, the four presidential candidates all received 21 hours of airtime on the three main channels to debate each other and present their views. According to research conducted by Professor Sarah Oates, most Russians believe that news reporting on the three national television channels is selective and unbalanced, but view this as approriate. The responders to the study made it clear that they believe the role of state television should be to provide central authority and order in troubled times.
Main television channels
- Rossiya - national, state-owned channel - news and entertainment
- First ChannelChannel One (Russia)Channel One is the first television channel to broadcast in the Soviet Union. The channel was renamed Ostankino Channel 1 in 1991, after the Soviet Union broke up and the Russian SFSR became the Russian Federation. According to a recent government publication, the Russian government controls 51%...
- national, state-owned channel - news and entertainment - NTV - national commercial channel - news and entertainment
- Russia K - state-owned - culture and arts
- Russia 2 - commercial - sports
- STS - commercial - entertainment
- TV CenterTV CenterTV Center is a state-run Russia TV station with the fourth largest coverage area in Russia, after Channel One, Rossiya and NTV. It is owned by the administration of the city of Moscow and is dedicated to programming that highlights various aspects of Moscow life.The channel is broadcast in the...
- owned by Moscow city government - news and entertainment - Ren TV - Moscow-based commercial station with strong regional network
- Russia TodayRussia TodayRussia Today may refer to:* Russia Today, an English language 24-hour television news channel from Russia. It was launched in 2005 and is not related to an online news service of the similar name operated by EIN News...
- state-funded, international English-language news channel
Radio
There are three main nationwide radio stations in Russia: Radio RussiaRadio Russia
Radio Russia is a novelty single by Dickie Goodman released on Rhino Records in 1983.The record is a satire of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union...
(coverage: 96.9% of the population), Radio Mayak
Radio Mayak
Radio Mayak is a radio broadcasting company in Russia, owned by VGTRK. Mayak is the Russian word for "lighthouse" or "beacon". As well as Radio Mayak proper , the company is also responsible for the youth music channel Radio Yunost.Radio Mayak was established in August 1964 as a major All-Union...
(92.4%) and Radio Yunost
Radio Yunost
Radio Yunost , also known as "You-FM" is the primary youth radio station in Russia .- History :Radio Yunost began broadcasting in 1962. It was the main station, where russian people could listen fresh foreign music...
(51.0%). Although most radio stations focus on broadcasting music, they also offer some news and analysis. Especially famous is the independent station Echo of Moscow
Echo of Moscow
Echo of Moscow is a Russian radio station based in Moscow, broadcasting in many Russian cities, in some of the former-Soviet republics , and via the Internet, which some observers describe as "the last bastion of free media in Russia"...
, known for its anti-government political programs.
- Radio RussiaRadio RussiaRadio Russia is a novelty single by Dickie Goodman released on Rhino Records in 1983.The record is a satire of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union...
- national network - Radio MayakRadio MayakRadio Mayak is a radio broadcasting company in Russia, owned by VGTRK. Mayak is the Russian word for "lighthouse" or "beacon". As well as Radio Mayak proper , the company is also responsible for the youth music channel Radio Yunost.Radio Mayak was established in August 1964 as a major All-Union...
- state-run national network - Radio YunostRadio YunostRadio Yunost , also known as "You-FM" is the primary youth radio station in Russia .- History :Radio Yunost began broadcasting in 1962. It was the main station, where russian people could listen fresh foreign music...
- youth station - Echo of MoscowEcho of MoscowEcho of Moscow is a Russian radio station based in Moscow, broadcasting in many Russian cities, in some of the former-Soviet republics , and via the Internet, which some observers describe as "the last bastion of free media in Russia"...
- news and analysis - Russkoye Radio - major private network
- Voice of RussiaVoice of RussiaVoice of Russia is the Russian government's international radio broadcasting service owned by the All-Russia State Television and Radio Company. Its predecessor Radio Moscow was the official international broadcasting station of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.-Early years:Radio Moscow...
- state-run external service, broadcasts in English and other languages
News agencies
- Itar-Tass - state-owned
- RIA Novosti - state-owned
- Interfax - private