BBC Russian Service

Infobox Network
name = BBC Russian Service / Русская служба Би-би-си

country = United Kingdom
network_type = Radio network and website
available = International
owner = BBC
funding = Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK
key_people = Sarah Gibson (Head of Service)
launch_date = 1946
website = [http://www.bbcrussian.com bbcrussian.com] |The BBC Russian Service ("Rus:" Ру́сская слу́жба Би-би-си́) is part of the BBC World Service's foreign language output, one of 33 languages it provides.

History

The BBC Russian Service has been broadcasting since March 26, 1946.

However during World War II there were sporadic broadcasts to the USSR in Russian only. Most of these broadcasts were after 1942.

These were mainly short news bulletins or announcements relating to UK Foreign Office policy in Russian from 1943 onwards but often weeks or months apart.

In the cold war era the Service broadcasts were severely jammed. Despite this, it tried to bring to listeners in USSR information they were deprived of, including works of writers and dissidents who could not publish their work at home. such as Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Jammers were finally turned off in late 80s, as perestroika took hold.

* Radio Moscow on the other hand had been broadcasting in English to Western Europe since the late 1920s.
* The German Propaganda ministry had an English service, as well as a Russian service during most of WWII.

Broadcasting

The BBC Russian Service broadcasts strategically throughout Russia and some former Soviet countries, on FM, short- and medium-wave radio. Last few years saw many attempts to broaden Service access to listeners via partnerships with local FM stations, however most were unsuccessful. Much-trumpeted deal with Russian FM network "Silver Rain" (Rus: "Серебряный дождь") has collapsed to little result.

All the service's programming can be heard on medium-wave radio: in Moscow and St Petersburg on 1260kHz, in Yekaterinburg on 666kHz, however signal is patchy due to insufficient wattage of its transmitters. Most of the programmes can be accessed via Service's web site [http://www.bbcrussian.com]

The BBC Russian Service launched FM broadcasts in Moscow on 99.6 FM between 0700-1000 (Moscow time), its "Morning strand", and 1700-2000, its "Afternoon strand", in partnership with Bol'shoe Radio (Rus: "Большое радио"). During the day the output alternated between Russian Service and its one time rival, Radio Moscow, thus presenting radically different takes on some of the international news. This test signal began broadcasting on 23 April 2007. However, as some predicted, BBC involvement in Bolshoe Radio did not last for long and on August 17, 2007 it was announced that BBC Russian Service programmes would no longer be broadcast on that frequency. Officially this was due to a change in ownership and subsequent changes in licensing. The BBC has said it would appeal to the Russian authorities.

The Russian Service suffered from AM and FM transmission issues in Moscow and St Petersburg in late 2005 and during the first few months of 2006. Obstacles, officially due to the lack of proper licences, were removed, however since November 2006, from around the time the Litvinenko story hit the headlines, FM broadcasts were disrupted again.

On 17 August 2007 Bol'shoe Radio notified the BBC World Service that it planned to stop transmission of BBC programming in Russian as of that afternoon. BBC content was not aired as usual at 1700 (Moscow time); the station was ordered by its owner, the financial group Finam, to pull the shows or risk being taken off air altogether. The BBC planned to appeal against the decision. [http://media.guardian.co.uk/radio/story/0,,2151051,00.html] In its 2007 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Annual Report, the House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee concluded about the BBC Russian Service's joint project with "Bolshoe Radio": "the development of a partnership with the international arm of a Russian state broadcasting network puts the BBC World Service's reputation for editorial independence at risk." [2007 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Annual Report, the House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee, November 2007 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmfaff.htm] .

Russian dissidents such as Vladimir Bukovsky, Russian opposition's presidential candidate to replace Vladimir Putin, and KGB defector Oleg Gordievsky have criticised the BBC Russian service for soft-pedaling the death of Alexander Litvinenko. An article in "The Economist" suggested that the BBC's desire to continue to use local transmitters in the Russian Federation may be cause. [The BBC's alleged kowtow. "Economist.com" Jul 19th 2007. http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9500528] .

Morning broadcasting

BBC Morning

*Russian name: Утро на Би-би-си
*Broadcast: 0700-1000 (Moscow time)
*Genre: Three-hour breakfast news show
*Presented by: Anna Dementyeva, Mikhail Smirnov, Oleg Antonenko, Konstantin Eggert.
*Broadcast from: Moscow bureau.
*Show website: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/russian/programmes/utro/default.stm Утро на Би-би-си]

This programme includes:: Main news, Business, Press reviews, Phone-ins, Expert discussions, Weather forecasts

Evening broadcasting

BBC Evening

*Russian name: Вечер на Би-би-си
*Broadcast: 1700-1900 (Moscow time)
*Genre: Analytical news show
*Jointly Presented by: Jana Litvinova, Ilona Vinogradova, Dima Poltavsky, Aleksandr Baranov, Mikhail Smotryaev in Londonand Anna Dementyeva, Konstantin Eggert, Pavel Aksyonov, Oleg Antonenko in Moscow.
*Broadcast from: Bush House, London.

This programme includes: : Main news, Business, Phone-ins ("Over to You"/"Вам Слово"), Expert discussions,

BBSeva: News with a Human Face

*Russian name: БибиСева: Новости с человеческим лицом
*Broadcast: 1600-1700 (GMT/BST)
*Genre: Informal news show with interviews with Russian-speaking people in the know.
*Presented by: Seva Novgorodsev MBE.
*Broadcast from: Bush House, London.
*Show website: [http://www.bbcrussian.com/seva bbcrussian.com/seva]

Recent News

Konstantin Eggert MBE is Moscow Bureau Editor of the BBC Russian Service. He also edits and presents “Utro na BBC” (Morning on the BBC), the Russian Service main morning news and current affairs program. In 1992 - 1998 Eggert was Diplomatic Correspondent and Deputy Foreign Editor of the daily newspaper "Izvestiya". His assignments included, among other areas, the Middle East, Iraq, Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and the Balkans. He has written extensively on Russian domestic and foreign policy issues and contributed articles to the "International Herald Tribune", “The Times”, "Atlanta Journal and Constitution", "Milliyet", "Helsingin Sanomaat", "La Croix", "The World Today" (publication of the Royal Institute of International Affairs).

Mr Eggert is a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (London) and member of the board of “Pro et Contra”, quarterly journal of Carnegie Endowment Moscow Center. He lectures on Russian affairs at the German Foreign Policy Association (Berlin), Wilton Park (UK) and Geneva Centre for Security Policy. He is fluent in English, French and Arabic.

Konstantin Eggert is an honours graduate of the Moscow University Asian and African Studies College (history and Arabic language). In 2008 Queen Elizabeth II made Konstantin Eggert an Honorary (as he is not British) Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his services to the BBC Russian Service.

Key Observers

Andrei Ostalsky

Steven Eke

Key Journalists

* Pavel Aksyonov

* Aleksandr Baranov

* Andrei Beketov: British News

* Alik Kan: World news

* Masha Karp: Features, arts

* Yevgeniya Mineyeva: Interactive elements

* Natalia Rubinstein: Features, arts

* Dmitry Shishkin: Video for online, sports

*Anastasia Uspenskaya

References

External links

* [http://www.bbcrussian.com BBCRussian.com]