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Newsletter #30 (162)
Russian media: news & publications.
OVERVIEW
1. Authorities, economy and mass media.
State Duma Deputies in mass media
“Politicians, as they are seen by mass media” – joint project of the “Vremya Novostey”
and “Medialogia” – presents ratings of the most talked-about politicians.
The Government permitted the privatization of the “Gudok” newspaper
The Government introduced 100% of the “Gudok” newspaper shares into the 2007
privatization plan.
The President approved the outdoor advertising tenders
According to the President’s press service, Vladimir Putin signed the amendments to
the Articles 19 and 33 of the federal advertising law, adopted by the State Duma on 6
July and approved by the Federation Council on 11 July.
In the Presidential election year the subsidies of the state press are to increase
rapidly
The fact that the authorities are overtaking the mass media is cold news. The news is
that now the authorities are completely unashamed to do it. The numbers in the mass
media section of the federal budget have never been as explicit as in the 2008-2010
draft, approved by the State Duma. In the Presidential; election year the media
subsidies are to grow 22.1 % (15 billion rubles), and would decrease by the same
amount in 2009-2010.
The President sets a new goal
On the latest Security Council meeting Vladimir Putin has set a new great goal for
Russia. The President has come to the following conclusion: considering the fact that by
the year 2009 there will be no village in Russia without the telephone services, the
country must get prepared to the role of the world IT-leader. According to the
President’s opinion, Russia is going to reach this level by 2015, when, as most of the
Putin’s supporters estimate, he will be back in the presidency.
2. Press digest.
Stories from the Forward Media Group
The Forward Media Group PH launches a new celebrity magazine.
Troika Capital Partners purchases app. 30% of the Gameland PH
The Gameland PH employed the services of the “Troyka Dialog” Investment Company
last September in order to find the buyer interested in PH shares. The portfolio size has
not been disclosured, but the price – $12 billion – at that time correspondent to 40% of
the Gameland PH share capital. According to the Commersant Newspaper, “Troyka
Dialog” has decided to become a portfolio investor in that deal: the Troika Capital
Partners Foundation has become a joint holder of the Publishing House.
Trader Media East is on the rise
The Trader Media East (TME) Company, the owner of the Pronto-Moscow PH and the
majority stockholder of the Impress Media, keeps surmounting the financial crisis of the
2006. The 2nd quarterly report shows the sustained economic development of the TME
in Moscow and regions. However, the market participants find the financial performance
of the company to be unsatisfactory.
3. International mass media market news
Foreign Affairs Magazine Editor James F. Hoge rebuts accusations of censoring
the article by Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov
On the magazine web-site the Foreign Affairs magazine Editor James F. Hoge states
the position of the magazine concerning the withdrawal of Lavrov’s article by the
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Greenspan plans to block the Murdoch’s bid for Dow Jones
According to The Wall Street Journal, on-line businessman Brad Greenspan offers his
services to the Bankroft family in blocking the Rupert Murdoch’s bid for Dow Jones. The
Bankroft family owns 64% of Dow Jones voting stock.
LVMH persuades Les Echos
The tough struggle for the French newspaper Les Echos takes place in France. Moet
Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) has made another attempt to overtake the newspaper,
but stumbled across the resistance of the journalists.
4. Internet and mass media
Russian On-line mass media outlets are increasing the number of the visitors. Is
it going to scare off the advertisers or not?
The audience of the most of the largest Russian on-line mass media outlets has been
growing rapidly for the last two years. And the number of the Russian internet users has
been growing much slower. Where are all the new readers, who provide the owners of
the on-line resources with the considerable income, coming from? The ad rates are
directly related to the number of the visitors.
The Ambassador of the Great Britain has subscribed to the LiveJournal
Tony Brenton, The Ambassador of the Great Britain in Russia, has had a lunch meeting
with the most popular Russian bloggers in his residence. The Ambassador has
acknowledged the fact that he does not understand anything in on-line diaries, and has
learned that the bloggers and readers are mostly interested in pictures and high life.
According to the words of one of the bloggers, the most crucial questions for them was when the recruiting was going to start.
4. Facts and analysis
“Komsomolskaya Prawda” begins the building of a new printing plant.
The new printing facility construction begins this August in Krasnodar.
The printing industry calculates sub-total.
Over 100 republican, municipal and regional editors, print shop and editorial-publishing
bodies’ executives participated in the extended meeting of the Republic of
Bashkortostan Press Bureau board. The meeting took place last week in Tuymazi.
The Hachette Filipacchi Shkulev Group of Companies: the corporate structure of
the HR directorate has been approved.
The corporate HR directorate has been formed within the framework of the
administrative reform of the AFS/IMG Group of Companies, which was implemented on
1 July, 2007. The goal of the reform is to combine all the cognominal parallel
departments of both companies into the consolidated corporate directorates in order to
improve the management structure.
The polygraphists expect the decrease of the import duty on coated paper
At the 8th All-Russian Publishers & Press Distributors Conference (“North Venice
Economical Forum 2007”) the Vice-President of the Moscow Paleographic Union
Andrey Suleykov has presented a report on the problems of the Russian mass media
development and new legislative initiatives in the field of publishing and printed products
distribution.
Active TV Guides
Novosibirsk TV Guides market is one of the most competitive in Russia. There is the
struggle between 3 federal titles (Telesem, Telenedelya, Panorama TV) and the oldest
local TV Guide (TV Nedelya), which holds fast the second place in the region. However,
the competition is going to build up when the free federal TV Guides join the market,
along with the magazines on the coated paper.
5. PDA News
A letter to the Mayor of Moscow Yuri Lujkov by the PDA President Dmitry
Martinov
A letter by the PDA President dealing with the subject of implementing the Moscow
Government Resolution #965 d.d. 29 November, 2005
The Meeting of the PDA Board
The Meeting of the PDA Board took place on 25 July, 2007 in the Burda PH. The
participants heard the report on the work of the Press Distributors Association in
November 2006-July 2007. The Board approved the PDA activities during the period
under review.
Newspaper for the morning tea. Interview with the MAP, Ltd. General Director
Andrey Shishlin
“Sherlock Holmes was known to read the latest Times issue with his morning tea”
MAP, Ltd. Is to launch subscription program to the Golden Press Fund
Since September 1, 2007 in every post office in 82 MAP “Pochta Rossii” subscription
catalogs the subscribers would be able to find the Golden Press Fund titles and
subscribe to them for the first half of the year 2008. Such titles in the MAP catalog
would be marked with a mark of distinction.