Support The Moscow Times!

Public TV to Receive $146M in Subsidies

Russia's public television station will get 4.5 billion rubles ($146 million) in subsidies over the next three years after Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev approved the framework for providing such funding, according to a document published on the government's website.

The station, which is designed to be neither state-run nor commercial, will receive 1.55 billion rubles ($50 million) from the federal budget in 2013 and 1.5 billion rubles in 2014 and 2015 each.

The funding is meant to reimburse the costs associated with the creation of the channel, broadcasting, production of programs, marketing of the channel on Russian and foreign markets, and maintaining its branches and representative offices, Vedomosti reported.

However, the sum is less than what some had hoped for.

In September, the station's general director Anatoly Lysenko said that 1.5 billion rubles is only 65 to 70 percent of what the station needs to function.

Lysenko said that he intends to look for other sources of funding, though he assured viewers that if there is any advertising on the channel, it will only be in the form of public service announcements.

The national public station is expected to start broadcasting in May 2013.

Related articles:

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more