Business Petersburg (St. Petersburg), №156, August 26, 2003

On September 1, a business TV channel, devoted to Russian and international business news, starts broadcasting. RBC-TV will cover the situation on Russian and international financial and commodities markets 24/7. Golden Telecom Inc., the largest Russian independent communications provider, has started organizing a virtual private local area network for transmitting high-quality digital video signal for the RBC-TV channel.

According to the company, the first stage of cooperation between Golden Telecom and RosBusinessConsulting (RBC) suggests the creation of data transfer channels with the speed of 30 to 100 megabit per second on the basis of Golden Telecom's optical network and the Gigabit Ethernet technology.

RBC General Director Yury Rovensky gives the details of this project.

- What are the parameters of this project?

- RBC-TV has already received $16m in investments. RBC Information Systems has invested $10m in ZAO RBC-TV; another $6m were attracted by the channel in loans from private investors. Total costs are most likely to overcome $20m. We believe that the channel will break even in 2 years. All incomes will be from advertising. We do what is called niche television. Our audience opens a completely different range of advertisers who could not target their customers earlier. These are both audit companies and the B2B sector. Thanks to our channel, they will be able to present themselves.

- What format of broadcasting have you chosen?

- We are broadcasting not only via satellites (NTV+ and Kosmos TV). RBC-TV will also use cable networks (Comcor-TV and Divo-TV) and cable and terrestrial broadcasting; we shall also be transmitted by regional broadcasters. Residents of the 12 Russia's largest cities will watch us. We want to be watched in all business centers of the country. It is top and middle managers, employees of banks, investment companies, funds, exchanges, audit and consulting companies, journalists, representatives of federal and regional government bodies and agencies, Russian entrepreneurs and foreign top managers, specialists and businessmen, as well as economic students and private investors who are interested in business and financial information first of all.

- What programming will you have?

- Information television is very different from what we are used to see on our TV screens. It is films that occupy the central position in the programming of Russian channels. RBC-TV will have no entertainment programs. We shall broadcasts 18 hours live (7 a.m. to 1 a.m.) and repeat out programs another 6 hours. The main programming includes news programs, programs about markets, industries, and interviews with experts. There will be special programs, too. In fact we have both information and analytical policies combined on our channel. We are the only channel in the world that does this. Our programming is to get people used to specific programs at specific time. First it is morning broadcasting, then afternoon programs in the office TV format. After that comes evening broadcasting, which is quieter and more analytical.

- Are you going to avoid the accepted TV custom not to pronounce on air the names of sponsors of events and companies, who are in fact newsmakers?

- We would like to establish partnership with a number of companies. We are interested in having analysts, experts, top managers and just well-known businessmen as guests and participants of our programs. We need well-known faces and brands to be seen on our channel.

No doubt such cooperation is mutually beneficial, as companies will have certain promotion.

- Why do you think television neglects the interests of business, of active and employable part of the Russian population cutting down information on air, avoiding mentioning names of companies as they consider it advertising?

- According to their broadcasting concept, Russian TV channels cannot devote more than 1 percent of their airtime to economic issues.

Journalists are first of all interested in sensations and scandals. Russian television has actually no special programs, which give professional analysis of economic information.

We would like the new channel to become a site for dialog. To date, business really needs a means for expressing its opinions, views, and estimates. All the more so it is important now that Russian companies have started thinking about corporate and property transparency. Television must help deliver this information to its viewers.