The fifth reboot

Life in the Fifth St. Petersburg over the past 20 years has changed five times. In the late 80s, when the “fifth wheel” rolled and “600 seconds” flashed. In the early 90s, when the prospect of the “not from Moscow” was not realized, and one of the oldest television and radio companies of the country again turned into television with the “regional fate”. When the channel has influential and non -public owners - the business structure of the Kovalchuk brothers, who are considered the closest friends of the current prime minister, all administrative resources were abandoned to create the last nationwide company. By decree of V. Putin, the channel received the general Federal status in 2007. Like any collectors of serious assets (from banks to largest insurance companies), the shareholders of the NMG, apparently, did not really understand why they were the media. At first, they tried to turn the Five into the “All -Russian Channel of the Regions” (it was with this concept that the canal won the license for broadcasting in packs). But the costs did not justify themselves, and retaining elements of through conversations with the country, again began to drift into the niche of St. Petersburg intelligent sincereness. Cute, a little archaic, but judging by the events of last fall (1,5 thousand working and billion subsidies), even expensive even these shareholders. Then, they say, the prime minister intervened and in the summer of 2009 the fifth reloading of the fifth channel was launched, which, after entering the public digital package, is already absolutely confidently calling itself federal.

Since March 15, the new federal (today broadcasts in 1000 cities) new graphics - the emphasis on the team of the hosts, the new grid - without series and the usual entertainment formats, new programs - emphasized dialogical, new persons - for the most part, were persons. At the same time, a dozen premieres: “program program” with Svetlana Sorokina, “observer’s diary” Sergey Mayorova, the daily “real world” and Sunday “dear mother and dad” with Andrei Norkin, “freedom of thought” with Ksenia Sobchak and Alexander Vanshtein, “oil” with Dmitry Bykov, psychological current-shows “so” Radislav Gandapas. “Open Studio” by Nicky Strizhak, the “Main” program, “Night on“ Fifth ”,“ Progress ”and several more programs of St. Petersburg registration should work for the concept of television“ for a demanding viewer, which is not satisfied with primitive answers ”.

We are promised a channel - "Interlocutor." The main ones on the “five” are genres, which in recent years, “great” television, not without the participation of power, turned into marginal: talk shows, discussions, interviews, monologues, thoughts, documentary.

I really want the new "fifth" everything to succeed. Let any comparison is lame, but at the beginning of perestroika, it was several people from the Central Committee that did not resist the liberalization of the broadcast, materialized in discussions, direct broadcasts, “glace boards”, teleconference, in the launch of morning evening broadcasting (“fifth wheel”, “before and after midnight”, “view”), in the enthusiastic listening of philosophers, writers, teachers in the concert, teachers in the concert Studii Ostankino. I don’t know if St. Petersburg shareholders are ready to delve into the topic of changing television meanings, although they resemble their mysterious significance Soviet party establishment. But the current Kremlin ideologists are definitely not similar to those who intend to “let the reins”: they work with a non -public Ordzhonikidze (head of the NMG), and not with the public Rodnyansky (head of the Expert Council). Modern television people - both new and “wounded” of former times - no matter what project they work on, have long been living in the protective system of coordinates, with an eye on, sometimes frightening themselves.

That is why I have a mixed impression of updates on the “fifth”, more while - at the level of sensations. On the one hand, there is an application for a new dialogue with the audience and the wonderful composition of talented professionals who have proven their viability - both journalistic and production. On the other hand, it looks like an attempt to cross the “dolch Vita” with “Discovery” and “times” without the “voice of the people”. All this - so far in presentations and explanations - something elusive resembles the matured STS: without popping, “in white”, positive, moderately spectacular, “mixing” political journalists and “socializing” glamorous divas.

It seems that there is a fucker, and a sincere fuse, but some kind of uncertainty is guessed. Those who make the channel - the potentially very strong community of creators - it seems that there is no understandable idea of the common cause, all of them hired on projects. In producer television, there is nothing to worry about, but an intellectual breakthrough rarely occurs when new pieces of mosaic selected in size and color are laid in a restored mosaic canvas. This is a very important process, but there is no spirit of the experiment in it.

And yet. Television, which was presented to us, implies not just the particularity of intonation, it implies a sincere, honest conversation between its own. Without infusion and “without bills” about complex and painful topics. So, it implies not only freedom of thought, but also freedom of speech. Without winking and verbal beads on the principle of "yes, but ...".

But the answers sounded at the press conference, as it is now customary to say, in the usual trend: about the fact that “a live broadcast is not an end in itself,” but “there are no black lists” we hear ten years. And what do we have? To the questions - whether the theme “Yukos against Russia” is possible on the channel, and whether Mrs. Sobchak will combine “freedom of thought” with “house 2” - the same traditional answers. “Of course, the topic is conflicting, and of course, in principle, it is possible, but the show implies the presence of defendants, and the program does not have to be political”, etc., and in the same spirit. The face of the daughter of the first St. Petersburg mayor will still remain the face of house 2. A rare freedom of thought! I would very much like to make a mistake, but I think that in the program “Monologue” (Victoria Tokareva, Maria Gaidar, again Ksenia Sobchak, are waiting for Ramzan Kadyrov and Tatyana Yumashev - they all remember their parents) are unlikely to appear Lyudmila Alekseeva with her confession or Vera Politkovskaya - also a daughter of a famous mother.

The key on the show of the channel for me was the word “freedom” - they were juggled a lot: both on the presentation screen and in cupor -culu -conversations. “Freedom without thought is dangerous, thought without freedom is doomed” (the host of “freedom of thought” in the promotional video). “Freedom is the fifth time of years” (Brodsky also quotes the host of “oil paintings” in the video). “How much freedom doesn’t say, the former NTV will not work” (one of the colleagues writing about television). “We are a drop of freedom in the space of general glee” (one of the top managers of the NMG).

From all this, two main sensations were born. From the exhaustion of the previous consumer -escaped model, the desire to turn television into an “intellectual resource” and “site for a dialogue” has already broken. But there is still no free breathing. Because when it is, they do not talk about him. They just don't notice him. I sincerely wish the "fifth" success. Suddenly we’ll be tanned?