Russian President Vladimir Putin will lead a State Council meeting on live television today.
Photo: Андрей Махонин
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Vladimir Putin to Appear on Television
Two state television channels, Channel One and Rossiya, will transmit Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech to the State Council today. The decision to broadcast the speech was apparent made at the last moment. In recent years, the military parade on Victory Day, Christmas and Easter services and speeches by Putin have been the only event to receive a lengthy live broadcast on more than one channel. Channel One (then ORT) and Rossiya (the RTR) began the tradition of live broadcasts of presidential speeches in 2000 with the president's address to the Federal Assembly.
A year after that, two more televised events were added. The president's first “direct line,” a live call-in broadcast, took place on December 24, 2001. It is said that the popular format was thought up by he channel's heads, Konstantin Ernst (Channel One) and Oleg Dobrodeev (Rossiya). The other live television event is the president's annual expanded press conference.
State Council meetings were never honored with television coverage before. Nor is the broadcast of this one indicated in television schedules. Channel One issued a special press release yesterday to announce the broadcast and Rossiya announced it on yesterday's newcast. On Channel One, the president's daytime appearance will preempt a detective drama and two informational programs. On Rossiya, news and children's programming is being sacrificed.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 08, 2008
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