Winter protests and rallies have created some new stars on Russian television, while some TV veterans have been forced to look for new lines of work, in what some critics are calling a media crackdown. Others argue that it’s just business.
Sveta Kuritsina was a doe-eyed teenager when she came to Moscow from Ivanovo in December for a pro-Kremlin rally that celebrated Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party. Out of her depth, but clearly enjoying the attention, she gave a long interview to a Moscow journalist, who prodded her to make a fool of herself in a clip that went viral, earning 4 million YouTube views and endless mockery.
“We became more better dressed” (Мы стали более лучше одеваться) was just one of Kuritsina’s semi-grammatical utterances that became internet memes.
Therefore, many Russians couldn’t help wondering what NTV chief Vladimir Kulistikov was thinking when he selected Sveta to host her own program on the channel.
Titled “Luch Sveta” (“A ray of light,” a pun on Sveta’s first name), the show’s premiere broke all records for viewership as those familiar with the anti-heroine, many of whom rarely watch TV, tuned in to see the pimply and plump (but not unlikable) provincial girl begin her conquest of Moscow.
As Sveta’s star was rising, some NTV veterans saw theirs fade, such as Alexander Kartozia and Alexander Urzhanov, creators of late night talk shows that often discussed politics and the opposition movement. “We are being eaten one by one,” Urzhanov wrote in July after leaving NTV.
Ksenia Sobchak, the glamorous socialite (daughter of the late St. Petersburg governor and Putin mentor Anatoly Sobchak) who hosted everything from reality shows to music and fashion contests, suddenly found herself persona non grata on all federal channels. It only took several months of involvement with the opposition movement to turn her from a spotlight darling to someone only able to reach an audience on Twitter and the tiny independent channel Dozhd.
Meanwhile, the government is launching yet another television channel, with the emphatic name “Russian Public Television.” The move followed repeated criticism of the current federal television networks, all of which are controlled in some way by the state. Public television in Russia has been discussed endlessly for the past decade, however President Putin reportedly criticized the idea as “too naive” when he discussed it with veteran TV personality Vladimir Posner. It remains to be seen whether or not the respected but elderly 75-year-old Anatoly Lysenko, who has been appointed chief, is up to the task.
CAT VIDEO GAP? Yes, Russians love their cat videos as much as anyone else. But they have a bit of catching up to do. YouTube shows 88.5 million videos with the word “cat” in the title, but only 1.31 million with “кот” in the title.
>“You are being insidious by not accepting our apologies. I don’t understand what else you need!”
– Maria Alyokhina, Pussy Riot defendant
The group of Russian celebrities supporting punk protest band Pussy Riot has grown to include some world famous figures:
Stephen Fry: “Another quick break from my twitter-holiday to urge you to do everything to help the #PussyRiots... Pressure Putin!”
Peter Gabriel: “Nadya, Katya, Masha. You have the right to make your own prayers – from the heart. I hope you will be released very very soon. We are all watching.”
Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand): “I am sure you are all fans of their right to express their opinion. Any world leader who claims to be a fan of the Beatles and John Lennon... then attempts to imprison contemporary musicians who express their political views, is the worst kind of hypocrite: a dangerous one.”
Sting: “Dissent is a legitimate and essential right in any democracy and modern politicians must accept this fact with tolerance. A sense of proportion – and a sense of humour – is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness.”
Madonna: “I know there are many sides to every story, and I mean no disrespect to the church or the government, but I think that these three girls – Masha, Katya, Nadya – I think that they have done something courageous. I pray for their freedom.”
Meanwhile, some Russian cultural figures responded with a letter of their own:
“To defend the religious sacrilege, to unceremoniously whitewash criminal extremists, who knowingly and purposefully carried out an act that defiled a spiritual relic of Russian Orthodoxy and the Russian people – that could only be done by cynical, uncultured types, who possess neither love for Russia nor respect for its thousand-year history.”
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