Novye Izvestia (Moscow) - December 10, 2003.

Today, RBC business television celebrates its first landmark date. It is time to draw the line. Has the channel found its viewers? How successful is this project, Russia's first information television channel specializing in business news?

First of all one should pay credit to RBC's television team. They managed to launch the most technologically advanced channel in Russia in the shortest time. Plans to implement an ambitious media project that is an equal peer to its western analogs were announced a year and a half ago. And this September Russian viewers had an opportunity to be updated on the most important economic and financial news. Every day RBC broadcasts 36 news programs, and 23 Market programs that cover trade on Russian and foreign exchanges. The number of live programs is up to 70 per day. No other domestic channel can compare to such "dense" news broadcasting. So far, Russian television has not experienced 24/7 information broadcasting. All the more considerable is RBC's success.

The TV channel has never broken its schedule. No programs have been taken off the air. One of RBC's major achievements over the first months of operation is stability.

Many observers were rather skeptical about the project. They did not believe that the channel's business audience would be millions of viewers. They doubted that RBC would be able to make advertisers seriously interested. However, by December 1, the channel received $3.5 million in advertising revenues. It is quite possible that it will break even in 2.5 years and become profitable in 3.5 years. As for audience growth, soon after broadcasting started it turned out that RBC TV's programs are interesting not only for professionals, i.e. businesspeople, managers, brokers, and economists. Everyone who is somehow interested in economics, who wants to learn to correctly manage their money, and to receive objective firsthand information watches business television.

The project's being in demand is mainly linked to the fact that the channel has an important social mission. It makes the Russian economy more transparent and clear.

Until recently, Russian TV programs could not mirror the real situation in the Russian economy and business. Federal channels do not give a complete information picture of what is going on at all. A couple serious programs count for nothing. And this is while Russia is a country with an intensively developing economy whose doubling of the GDP was announced almost as a major national goal and whose stock market has been one of the fastest growing until recently. But the economy extends further than corruption scandals, property redistribution, and sensational stories.

Over the first months of broadcasting, RBC's audience grew due to subscribers of satellite and cable television, and regional broadcasting. The business TV is watched in Yekaterinburg, Rostov-on-Don, Perm, Tyumen, Murmansk, Ufa, and Surgut on cable and decimeter channels. Its popularity is testified to by feedback from operators of cable and satellite telecommunications. According to them, RBC's adding to the basic package of programs has triggered increased demand and even a stampede for subscribing for NTV+, Kosmos-TV, Comcor-TV, and Divo-TV.

Why is it trendy, prestigious, and interesting to watch RBC? Why is its information trusted? This phenomenon has a number of reasons. For the first time in Russia a business television channel is available. The channel is not controlled by the state or a large financial or industrial group and consequently can pursue an independent information policy. RBC has established partner relations with CNN and CNBC, world television broadcasting leaders.

Every day, top Russian businesspeople, outstanding economists, and government officials who determine national policies come to the channel's studio. The expert and supervisory board of the business television channel includes Russian presidential advisor Andrey Illarionov, senior deputy chairman of the Russian Central Bank Tatyana Paramonova, and president of the Russian Television Academy Vladimir Pozner. The board's co-chairpersons are scientific supervisor of the Higher School of Economics Yevgeny Yasin and Executive Chairman of Barclays Capital Hans-Joerg Rudloff.

One of the most important success factors is innovativeness of activities of the RBC group of companies. RBC TV is one them.

RosBusinessConsulting has once again demonstrated skills and talent for being in the right place in the right time. RBC attracted over $13m in the first initial public offering on Russian exchanges last April. The lion's share of the resources received from the IPO was invested in creation of the business channel.

One can say that RBC is the biggest television project of this year. The business channel was awarded in the Major Television Event of 2003 special nomination at the VI Eurasian Television Forum. Once Irish bishop George Berkeley, one of the most outstanding thinkers of the 18th century, stated his famous principle that is still up-to-date: "esse est percipi", or "to be means to be perceived". However, today they say a bit differently: "What is not on TV does not exist". This is a quotation of Rupert Murdoch. The top media mogul knows what he's talking about. Television in the most important element of media space.

Existence determines consciousness no less than this very existence is shown on TV.