TV Park (Moscow), September 08, 2003

On September 2, RBC TV, an offspring of the well-known information agency RosBusinessConsulting, started broadcasting in Moscow and St. Petersburg. According to RBC General Director Yury Rovensky, in a couple of years RBC TV's audience will make up half of Russia's middle class.

- Why is it today that the first around-the-clock business television came into being?

- RBC TV came at the very moment when the Russian business community, i.e. people who are interested or involved in business, took shape and was sufficient in number so that business television can become a reality.

- Who are your viewers?

- They are not only brokers, dealers and top managers who need business information by the nature of their work. They are also economic students, families of businessmen, all people who analyze the market, a good deal of companies constituting the Russian business environment. Given the fact that RBC TV is totally digital and will therefore be broadcasted by satellite and through the Internet, our audience is not confined to Russia. Our viewers are also employees of western investment companies, analysts and experts who determine whether to deal with Russian businesses and what to invest in.

- How does Russian business television differ from its western counterparts -US Bloomberg TV and German NTV?

- Unlike many western counterparts, our channel will be free of charge. According to sociologists, domestic viewers are not ready to pay for television as yet, and therefore we count on advertising. Our audience is specific, so is the advertiser who does not work with conventional television channels. Moreover, Western business channels that provide information and analysis are strictly separated. Conversely, Russian business audience is not as wide and solid, that is why RBC TV will be both informational and analytical. In other words, it will include news shows, market reviews, analytical programs, social reports and advertisements of cultural activities.

- How did you manage to overcome inevitable organizational problems?

- As of now, RBC TV numbers 500 employees. The channel was created over the course of a year. To date, there are over 20 remote stationary cameras installed in offices of government agencies, banks and investment companies. This equipment provides smart coverage of events through newsmakers and analysts on the spot. They will all work live on the air, attempting to outpace events, so that a person confronted with a particular phenomenon is able to immediately understand the reaction of the market to this phenomenon. Finally, it should be born in mind that RosBusinessConsulting has been working on the Russian media market for 10 years already and is providing necessary informational support to the new channel.