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07
SECTION SPONSORED BY ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA, RUSSIA
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH THURSDAY_OCTOBER 25_2007
Roots As soon as the weekend arrives, cities look totally deserted. The great escape Media A huge country with one national outlet
to country homes begins as everyone embraces the peasant life
Boxing clever, or how
Dacha love
TV has united a nation
IMEDIA
Television in Russia has
always been much more than
just entertainment. It’s a
social institution of great
importance that brings the
nation together and provides
the basis for a sense of self
It may be a palace or little more than
and identity.
ALEXANDER RODNYANSKY
CEO, CTC MEDIA
a shed, but for everyone it’s heaven
MOSCOW
Today the Russian economy
is on an upswing, and so are
consumer services and ad-
RIA NOVOSTI vertising. It is not surprising,
October is the month when then, that the television mar-
Russians bid farewell to their ket is among the most dy- The serial My Fair Nanny (the Russian version of the American The
Indian summer. Gone are the namic in the world, with Nanny) had to undergo some serious work to be adapted to the Rus-
warm days, giving way to about 30pc annual growth sian format. Much time was spent on editing every joke and remark,
rain, slush and cold. The rate since 2000. but Anastasia Zavorotnyuk, who starred in the serial, has become
golden remains of once green In this market, free-to-air the most popular actress in the country.
leaves have fallen and the (FTA) television leads, set-
trees are stripped bare. And ting it apart from its Europe-
adults and children settle into an and American counter-
the cycle of work, home and parts. The development of,
work again; or lessons, and public demand for, paid
WMEDIA GROUP
homework and school satellite and cable services is
breakfasts. far smaller in Russia than in
the UK and the US.
MIKHAIL YURIEV / RBTH
Terrestrial broadcasting
MOSCOW owes its strength to its con-
tent and quality. There are
For most, however, October currently more than 20 ter-
means getting the dacha restrial channels available
ready for winter: taking in Moscow, St Petersburg
the harvest, insulating fruit Yekaterinburg, Vladivostok
trees, clearing the fallen and other large cities. But The Vesti show “How to become a millionaire” reckon on success by
leaves and so on. The autum- FTA in Russia includes niche inviting Russia’s most popular young impersonator Mikhail Galkin
nal dacha garden presents sport and music channels, whose recitals are on the air each time before the president’s New
no small amount of work. traditionally pillars of the Year address to the nation.
More than half of Russians pay TV industry in other
own these “windows to na- countries.
ture”, retreats built on small In Russia, there are at least under the name of Ugly Betty Whereas information and
country allotments. But the two free terrestrial sport is a major brand on ABC. news updates used to domi-
dacha is more than a simple channels, MTV and Muz-TV, From time to time adapta- nate – especially during per-
cottage, an escape from city and three or four movie chan- tions of foreign titles may be- estroika, when taboo themes
life. More, even, than a small nels: Russian terrestrial TV come more successful than were suddenly opened to
farm to grow vegetables or offers a diversity of viewing the original shows or series. public discussion – now a
rear livestock. that is difficult for subscrip- This doesn’t mean that Rus- consumer society has taken
The dacha is many things. It tion channels to rival. sia doesn’t produce original shape, bringing stability.
can mean a modest summer cilities”. And because they dachnik who did not want to trains over some three years. Russians just don’t like to ideas. Local product domi- Russians want to choose from
house between vegetable Dacha facts remained at all times the work his plot was ruthlessly In those days, cars were a pay for their TV, which is nates in such genres as news, the greatest possible number
patches, or two-storey hous- property of the state, they evicted. Second, the size and bigger luxury than dachas. hardly surprising in a coun- documentaries, TV-movies of brands, so television has
es surrounded by flower About half of urban Russian could be snatched back for types of buildings on the al- Woven with such difficulty, try where the average month- and miniseries. Whether gone to the other extreme,
beds and English lawns. The families have land in the coun- any perceived lapse. lotment were also strictly the country nest became a ly wage is $400. these can survive interna- giving up serious dialogue al-
“New Russian” marble and try. Of these, 24pc own summer So no special term evolved regulated: no more than 36sq second home for millions of tionally is yet to be seen, al- together.
granite palaces with foun- cottages, 13pc have only land, for what amounted to such a m, one floor, and only light- us, often much closer to the Cable technology though such Russian origi-
tains, swimming pools, ten- and 11pc have heated houses closed, rare and unstable weight building materials to heart than the main city flat. Technology also presents a nals as the Good Jokes show Rapid advance
nis courts (pictured below) suitable for all seasons. Of sum- thing, though the word be used. The flimsy struc- Indeed, most citizens had problem for the subscription and the Poor Nastya series In a matter of 15 years, Rus-
are also dachas, insofar as mer cottages, 37pc belong to dacha derives from the verb tures were officially meant first- or second-generation channels. Cables cover only have been sold to several sian television has gone as far
they are in the country and households with a monthly per davat, “give” or “allot”. to store gardening tools but roots in the country. The 22pc of Russian territory, dozen countries and caused as American TV did in half a
are somewhere to rest place capita income exceeding 5,000 During the Khrushchev some would spend a night or dachnik thus felt the “call of and they are often old copper a sensation in China and century. It has launched be-
from honest (sometimes not roubles (roughly $200): 21pc thaw of the late Fifties plots two in them during warm the land”, impelling him to cables laid to carry analogue Greece. CTC has also intro- tween five and 10 new pro-
so honest) toils. of low-income families, with a of abandoned or infertile weather. Such squalor and drain marshes, root out signals with a capacity of be- duced the sitcom genre to the grammes, series and shows a
The lack of a clear definition monthly per capita income of land were given to citizens egalitarianism had a good grubbery, enrich the soil… tween 14 and 18 channels – Russian audience, with suc- year.
for the various types of coun- 1,500 roubles and less, have as remuneration for profes- side – no-one envied his to build a little corner of par- nowadays a negligible num- cessful adaptations of the Russians sit for hours in front
try homes is easy to explain. only land. Of the landholding sional and other achieve- neighbour. adise for himself. ber. In the areas where the American series The Nanny of the screen, and are a de-
In Soviet times, impressive townspeople, 68pc engage in ments. But though the land But in those years of short- Settling the food problem cable network has been re- and Who Is the Boss? and manding audience. TV is
mansions were provided to fruit and vegetable gardening at was free, there were condi- age, even the most miserable was a utopian dream, but laid or modernised (in St Pe- here we are now airing the much more than entertain-
select members of the no- a scale for sufficient household tions. of country retreats were housewives still took pride tersburg, for example), the first successful Russian- ment for its audience and
menklatura: leading politi- use, 19pc prefer flower garden- The new dacha owner built with the greatest of dif- in pickles and jams “from problem is inversed: a 100- made sitcom, Daddy’s more than a thriving busi-
cians and party-favoured ing, 16pc use their dachas for (dachnik) had to use his ficulty and sacrifice. I re- my own garden”. channel cable covers the en- Daughters, based on an orig- ness for its owners. It makes
cultural and sporting fig- recreation and social events, small allotment (no more member well how my uncle Many dachas became a tire city, but lacks sufficient inal story. Russian people a nation
ures. The buildings were while 4pc engage in market gar- than 600sq m) to plant a cer- – a middle-ranking civil ser- means of sustenance in the content. builds national identity.
surrounded by high fences dening. More than half, 57pc, tain number of fruit trees vant in the railway ministry lean 1990s, with the stormy There is another major fac- Advertisers’ ideal Around 140,000,000 people
(usually painted dark green regard their land as a source and grow garden crops. This, – built his country “man- post-perestroika introduc- tor: domestically-made pro- A third reason for TV’s im- set apart from each other by
– goodness knows why), of extra income, and 28pc as a the government hoped, sion” by transporting five or tion of liberal economic re- grammes dominate Russia’s portance is its rapid develop- many thousands of miles
guarded by KGB soldiers, place to relax. would put an end to perma- six planks of wood at a time forms. Unemployment rock- TV landscape. ment as a tool of communica- stick to the same news, cry
and were called “regime fa- nent food shortages. The on overcrowded suburban eted, and wages were sus- Leading international titles tion, a forum for debate and over the same story lines,
pended for months. Proud – movies, series and shows – the nation’s favourite pas- laugh together at the same
KONSTANTIN ZAVARZHIN_RG
flower-growers destroyed are usually confined to rela- time. The internet and other jokes, answer the same ques-
their exquisite beds to plant tively weak time slots. In- rival media are far less popu- tions during quiz shows.
vegetables. stead, Russian producers lar in Russia than they are in Russian television attempts
Today, with the more auspi- adapt international formats other European countries or to address metaphysical
cious economic environ- to meet national values and the US. So television is the questions: What are we?
ment, flowerbeds have re- tastes. advertisers’ ideal medium Where did we come from?
turned to dacha allotments, The purchased and adapted for every audience from chil- Where are we heading? How
while solid, comfortable formats play an important dren to pensioners. do we co-exist?
houses, designed for leisure role in Russian TV channels’ Yet Russian television is the A huge country in which the
and the contemplation of the programming. Who Wants to lowest-cost advertiser. In national radio and press play
surrounding beauty, have Be a Millionaire? is popular terms of CPT (cost per thou- a considerably smaller part
supplanted the basic sum- on Channel One, as is Won- sand contacts), the price for than in other states, Russia
mer homes. Trees planted derfield, Russia’s Wheel of advertising on television are has only one true national
under a compulsory ar- Fortune. far smaller than the print, media outlet. And that’s the
rangement during the thaw Sometimes it’s in Russia that radio or internet options. television.
-
still blossom and bring formats prove their potential Russian television has an-
fruit. for international popularity. other characteristic. It con- Alexander Rodnyansky is the
Central Russia had a bum- CTC Media enjoyed co-oper- sists of two worlds – govern- president of CTC Media, one
per apple harvest this year. ation with Sony Pictures ment and commercial. The of the largest Russian and Eu-
The dacha folk are in dismay Television International former are inspired by their ropean media companies,
– what to do with so many (SPTI) on a Columbian for- social mission. Yet while they which incorporates CTC and
apples? Leave them to rot? mat that was aired on CTC as are dependent on govern- Domashny TV networks.
Sell them in the market? The Born not Pretty and turned ment funding, in the past few
latter option is unrealistic: out to be one of the most suc- years they have devoted the Researched by
the people are too busy and cessful of Russian adapta- lion’s share of their program- Susanna Alperina
well off.
-
tions. Today, the format ming to entertainment. Oksana Naralenkova
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