The period since the collapse of the Soviet Union has seen Russian television move from a system of absolute state control to one which ostensibly resembles that which exists in most European countries, i.e. a mixture of publicly and privately owned channels. In fact, during the 1990s, a large part of the system came under the effective control of one or other of the “oligarchs” (wealthy businessmen with political ambitions); since 2000, however, a variety of legal, commercial and other manoeuvres has been deployed to bring all the main national channels back under the direct or indirect control of the state, which in practice means the President and his entourage. The North European system of public service television, though much discussed in professional circles, and…
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Citation: Dunn, John. "Russian Television". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 October 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1683, accessed 25 November 2024.]