| Vladimir Kulistikov headed NTV, and Nikolai Senkevich headed Gazprom Media. A third full-fledged state television channel will appear in Russia. These, according to observers, are the main possible consequences of personnel changes at NTV and in the Gazprom-Media holding.
Unexpected information about the resignation of Gazprom Media General Director Alexander Dybal, which appeared after a very smooth board of directors of the company that did not foretell storms, received an equally unexpected continuation yesterday. The vacant chair of the head of one of the largest media holdings will be taken by Nikolai Senkevich, a physician by training, who headed the NTV television company a year and a half ago. The deputy chairman of VGTRK, Vladimir Kulistikov, who worked for the company during its stellar years, is called upon to return NTV to its former glory as the country's leading news channel.
The appointment of Mr. Kulistikov as a “crisis manager” for a channel losing ratings not only seems logical, but has already been received with a bang by the majority of the television company’s employees. Vladimir Kulistikov is truly a professional journalist and television manager, and also completely loyal to the Kremlin.
The promotion of Mr. Senkevich, who was considered a “temporary worker” in the media environment, seems less logical. Nikolai Senkevich himself, in a conversation with a correspondent of the Vremya Novostey newspaper, only modestly explained that he was interested in the offer to take the post of general director of Gazprom-Media: “There is a lot of work there, since this is one of the largest media holdings in Europe.”
As a source close to the board of directors of Gazprom explained to the Vremya Novostey newspaper, the main task of Mr. Senkevich, which is set by the shareholders, is to quickly complete the transaction to create a joint holding company with the Eurofinance bank. Let us recall that the result of this transaction was supposed to be the appearance on the market of a powerful media holding, very friendly to the state. Gazprom must transfer 49% of shares in the media holding, which in addition to NTV will include a number of television companies, radio stations and newspapers, to Eurofinance, which is close to the Kremlin, in exchange for repaying old debts in the amount of 600 million dollars and a commitment to invest another 100 million in media projects million The head of Gazprom, Alexey Miller, announced his intention to get rid of non-core assets back in 2002. Moreover, the then head of the media holding, Boris Jordan, claimed that it would take a little more than six months to finalize the deal with Eurofinance. However, shares of the new company have not yet appeared, and the new head of Gazprom-Media was unable to clarify yesterday whether a new media empire will emerge in which Gazprom and Eurofinance will be the agents of the will of the state until the end of 2004. “I won’t answer this question for now. I must first immerse myself,” Mr. Senkevich said in a conversation with a correspondent of the Vremya Novostei newspaper.
However, given the obvious weakness of the figure of Nikolai Senkevich both in the media business and in the structure of Gazprom managers, it can be assumed that the role of Gazprom-Media in the actual management of the media assets of the gas monopoly will be reduced to a minimum. In fact, the situation has changed most dramatically since 2002, when Gazprom’s top management began a campaign to get rid of non-core assets. Now, in the context of the obvious strengthening of state control over national television, at least NTV is certainly not a non-core asset for Gazprom. In fact, the gas concern has been appointed to “watch” the most popular formally non-state television channel in the country. This line is only strengthened by new appointments. The de facto head of the Gazprom media empire becomes the head of the concern, Alexey Miller, the translator of his “political will” is Nikolai Senkevich, and Vladimir Kulistikov will have to translate these signals into a television product.
As for Vladimir Kulistikov, it seems he intends to prove that you can enter the same water not twice, but even three times. Moreover, one of the leading news people on domestic TV could have returned to his native channel last year - in any case, specialists actively discussed his candidacy as Boris Jordan’s successor at the beginning of 2003. However, then, unexpectedly for everyone, Alexey Miller appointed Nikolai Senkevich general director of NTV. According to the latter, it was he who now proposed the candidacy of Vladimir Kulistikov to the shareholders. “I was guided by his extensive television experience and contribution to the development of NTV,” Mr. Senkevich told the Vremya Novostei newspaper.
Judging by the fact that this event became almost a sensation both at VGTRK and on NTV, the decision to appoint Mr. Kulistikov was made by a very narrow circle of people standing much higher than the company’s shareholders. And Vladimir Kulistikov himself, most likely, was not ready for the new role, because he refused to comment on the day of his appointment, saying only that “to implement NTV’s ambitious plans, we are ready to mobilize all resources.”
Many NTV employees greeted the news of Mr. Kulistikov's arrival with enthusiasm, calling it the first clear personnel decision in recent years. However, people who came to the channel after the appointment of Nikolai Senkevich as general director were clearly upset. As channel employees told the Vremya Novostei newspaper, in the new situation the fate of the head of the marketing directorate of the television company Georgy Urushadze, director of the film exhibition and film production directorate Arkady Tsimbler, and deputy general director for production Alexei Zemsky is not very clear.
The “stars” who left the channel reacted to the appointment of Vladimir Kulistikov either neutrally or negatively. “Is this good or bad for the channel? I don’t know, we need to look,” Leonid Parfenov said in a conversation with a correspondent of the Vremya Novostei newspaper. - So far I don’t understand anything about this new configuration. In order to judge this, you need to hear the action program of the new general director.” When asked about the likelihood of his program “Namedni” returning to NTV, Mr. Parfenov did not answer: “I prefer not to talk about the impossible.” Vladimir Kara-Murza was more specific in his statements. “The fact that the head of the information service of VGTRK has come to the leadership of all NTV means that NTV will turn into a division of state television,” he told a correspondent of the Vremya Novostei newspaper. The channel has already closed Parfenov, and now, obviously, they will finish off the remnants of what was considered NTV news. Nowadays, intelligent people do not mention the “Vesti” program of the “Russia” channel without a grin, but this most shameful spectacle became so under the leadership of Vladimir Mikhailovich.”
Meanwhile, at VGTRK they are racking their brains over replacing Vladimir Kulistikova. Official representatives of “Russia” are so far limiting themselves to saying that his departure was a surprise and would be a loss for the channel. A replacement should be found for him in the next two weeks, but the company has not yet been able to name a single name. It should be noted that in addition to Vesti, Mr. Kulistikov has recently been actively working on the creation of a 24-hour information channel, the launch of which was scheduled for early next year. Nadezhda STEPANOVA |
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