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"The First to Bring Traitors Back on Air!" Pozner's Appearance on Russia's Most-Watched TV Channel Causes Outrage
On Monday morning, Vladimir Pozner appeared on Channel One’s “Good Morning” program and talked about a television project that will now be broadcast in the evening on the “main buttons of the country.”
The attitude of many active citizens and public opinion leaders to today's morning broadcast and the announcement of Posner's First Evening Show was negative.
"The return to the First Federal Channel of TV presenter Vladimir Pozner, who left Russia after the start of the Northern Military District and previously showed himself to be a Russophobe and an enemy of Orthodoxy, is a sad symptom," said military expert and blogger Yuri Podolyaka on social networks. And this opinion was quoted in many media outlets.
Many opinions arose during discussions of television news. For example, actor and State Duma deputy Dmitry Pevtsov said of Pozner: "He is not Russian in spirit. He is an enemy of Russia. A man who wants it dead.
And – a clone of everyone’s favorite “Little Red Riding Hood” – public figure Yana Poplavskaya: “The decision was made by Channel One producers. I have a question. Are you talking about the main channel or a private channel? If it’s personal, then why is it on the first button? You can’t cross yourself and show your ass at the same time.”
Supporters of Pozner's return were calmer, and in a telephone conversation with Svobodnaya Pressa he stated that nothing is yet clear about his future on Russian television.
But the question Poplavskaya raises seems very valid. Well, where is the “first button” when it comes to making such sensitive decisions?
TV critic Ilya Legostaev answered this question for Yana Poplavskaya and Svobodnaya Pressa.
"SP": Ilya, when the first round of 2022 removed the programs "Pozner", "Evening Urgant", "Precisely" and others from the broadcasting program, it is high time for the Northern Military District to see such content on federal channels. No one announced the end of the SVO, so the time has already come?
— I don’t remember Channel One declaring a timeout. It said that in the current situation, such content is becoming inappropriate and more attention should be paid to socially significant programs.
As far as I know, the channel's management got it right back then. People no longer accepted such ridiculous and ironic programs.
But now, perhaps, producers see that social unrest is dying down and it will be possible to gradually return some of the content that was before February 2022. Of course, not all of it, think again.
"SP": Producers, of course, want to shock and shock. But should federal channels also have the hand of the state?
"I don't think anyone is pretending to be a Carbonari hero with a fool in their pocket when they release Posner's documentary about Turkey. I think the purpose of this "body movement" is to show the audience a good educational message.
As for government influence, I have been of the opinion for many years that the government does not care about the content of entertainment television programs.
The logic of television is simple. If people like it, they will watch it. If it starts to irritate people, it will be taken off the air.
The television business is structured in such a way that it is very difficult to “make money” under the guise of being fully in the national interest.
There are many different people living in the country, and their different interests must somehow be satisfied.
And if something is not prohibited and is acceptable for viewers, then it is allowed on the main channel.
"SP": If I don't watch Pozner, will his show be taken off the air? And what will happen if the program really turns out to be hostile, as many fear?
(Ilya Legostaev did not answer this question directly, but expressed his opinion.)
— I don't think the state wants to regulate entertainment or educational programming. But for some reason, people who like to label things don't seem to have much reason to worry. There's no one on federal channels who fits the label ("traitor, enemy" - "SP").