"Vremya MN" (Moscow), May 21, 2002

Let's come directly to the point. The further the first date of broadcasting on the 6th TV channel is put off, the more unbelievable details about the new TV company emerge. The founders of the Media-Sotcium company, which won a tender for the 6th TV channel, are said to be thinking about launching a business TV channel in Russia.

TV without broadcast. So far no one in Russia has made an attempt to set up a business TV channel. Recently the RosBusinessConsulting Group promised to launch such a project, which would be financed from IPO proceeds. However, judging by scrimp information leaking from the company, it looks like it's going to be an Internet TV. With the lapse of time RBC users will be able to watch world's leading financiers, economic forums, discussions between analysts, etc. on the Internet. All major international financial agencies have long chosen this path but it has little to do with television broadcasting.

No more politics. The possible business and finance coverage by TV-6 is unlikely to become a thunderbolt from a clear sky. Representatives of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which is the most active part of Russia's major businesses, are among the founders of Media-Sotcium. So, their attempts to gain a new and lucrative market niche would be quite natural.

Moreover, things with the coverage of politics and social life on the 6th channel do not go smoothly. Initially Media-Sotcium was planning to commence broadcasting on May 26. However, it is clear that this deadline is just the wishful thinking of TV-6 journalists. It might even be postponed until the beginning of the autumn cold. The thing is that despite winning the tender on March 27, Media-Sotcium has not received a license for the TV frequency, which was previously owned by the Moscow Independent Broadcasting Corporation. On May 6, Media-Sotcium General Director Oleg Kiselyov appealed to the Prime Minister for help in obtaining the license. In his letter Kiselyov stressed that Media-Sotcium had fully complied with all legal and financial requirements of the Federal Commission for TV Tenders in due time. Mikhail Kasyanov hearkened to the supplication of the Media-Sotcium chief and immediately reacted to his letter. On May 7 an "urgent"-labeled dispatch signed by the Prime Minister was sent to the Media Ministry. The premier demanded the fulfillment of the government's commitments without delay. However, the senior officials of the Media Ministry did not issue the license. As a result, Kasyanov had to remind the Media Ministry about Media-Sotcium's license in an interview with NTV last weekend.

The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Sources in the company did not confirm the founders' intention to alter the concept of the channel despite the controversy with the broadcasting license. Journalists are making plans and hope that the young and old of our vast country will peacefully go to sleep with a safe conscience and peaceful soul under the lullaby of the characters of the 'Lights Off!' program. Fighter for the happiness of working people Khryun Morzhov and shy intellectual Stepan Kapusta will have a lot to chat about after the forced standby. No doubts that life in our country will not let melancholic satire dry up in a new program of Victor Shenderovich called 'Nothing but the Truth'. By the way, he will appear in a drastically changed image in front of TV viewers.

TV-6 is also going to continue its "glass wall" experiments. This time the 'Big Brother' show will take place in barracks, with parade and shooting grounds, not at a comfortable hotel suite. But it is not clear why 'Big Brother-3: You're in the Army Now' will be held at one of the military compounds of neighboring Ukraine. Probably the authors of the show decided that there are no such cool guys who could survive the extremes of the Russian Army. Those who will march through hell and high water will be awarded an all-terrain vehicle. Presenter Yulia Bordovskikh will cheer up the "recruits". However, it does not mean that she will give up commenting on sports news on TV-6.

Keeper of other people's secrets Irina Zaitseva will try out a new ground. Her new project will be totally different from the 'Hero without a Tie' series of interviews. This time her heroes will be people who are far from big politics and big money. It is rumored that Ivan Usachev, the producer of such programs as 'Catastrophes of the Week', 'The Net' and 'Our Favorite Pets', may return to TV-6. Certainly, the TV-6 schedule will feature the hobbyhorse of Kiselyov's team - news issues, claimed to be exclusive and unbiased. The analytical 'Itogi' program will drastically change their format. Additionally, Yevgeny Kiselyov and Svetlana Sorokina will continue a series of 'Contemporary History' programs, whose new name is kept secret.

Tatiana Onishchenko