Page 46 - AIB | The Chanel | Issue 2 2011

46 | ISSUE 2 2011 | THE CHANNEL
Travel to Russiawithout leaving
home is the slogan of Russian
Travel Guide TV. RTG describes
itself as an 'international
documentary TV channel focused
on the cultural and geographical
variety of theworld's largest
country'. It covers awide range of
topics – fromhistory to culture,
cuisine, nature programmes,
active holidays, and Russia's
ethnicmix. We asked RTG's CEO
Fedor Strizhkov what his
broadcast mission is
he most important
thing about RTG
TV – its mission if
you like – is to
represent Russia,
the world's largest
country. The
channel is a first for Russia – it is
totally dedicated to the country, it is
not politically or socially biased in
any way.
Its founders are a group of
individuals from different cities. It
was the idea, the vision of creating
such a channel that united them
and motivated them to find the
financial resources to start this
venture. The channel’s founders are
still its owners today. Russian Travel
Guide TV is part of the Bridge
media group which also incluces
TV channels Bridge TV, Rusong TV
and Dange TV. But of course for me
personally and our team Russian
Travel Guide TV is of special
significance – it is 100% our own
product, our own achievement.
When did RTG TV launch?
We started broadcasting in May
2009. We spent the whole of 2008
working out the format, putting
together the first films, hiring staff
and suppliers. There was a huge
amount to do and many in the
industry were doubtful that we
would be able to launch the channel
in such a short time. But we found
associates, first of all in St Petersburg,
and managed to get the channel up
and running in record time. Today
we broadcast 24 hours a day. We
have premium content, which is
updated weekly, offering diverse
regional and cultural perspectives.
The range of topics we cover is
very wide – it includes nature, rare
animal species, active holidays,
hunting and fishing, cruises and
tours, city walks, people, culture,
religion, history, ethnography,
cuisine, science and technology,
resorts, and science.
How were your first two years?
We are still a very young channel,
and the first two years were pretty
intense. But as the saying goes, the
devil is not so black as he is painted.
When we started the channel we set
ourselves goals that seemed almost
impossible to attain, but in the end
we did manage to achieve them.
Russia is a huge country, and one
challenge is that there are regions
that can only be visited during a
particular season – such as the
Komandorski islands or nomad
tribes in Siberia. Another challenge
is that there are many, many objects
and places in Russia that are of
interest to the viewers but camera
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TRAVELGUIDE RUSSIAN