In one dud

In one dud. The country enters the election cycle, and at the same time the next television season starts. Federal channels announce new information and analytical programs and talk shows. The New Times intends to carefully monitor the television screen and with the help of experts to analyze the election campaign on television. What awaits the audience in hot autumn-2011?

“The situation on today's television is even worse than it was in 1999, although then it was already beyond good and evil,” recalls journalist Pavel Sheremet, leading the analytical program on the ORT channel in 1999–2000. -The television policy, because of which we were worried then, today seems to be a childish babble. Now on television there are much more custom materials. When a journalist is asked to make a plot about a particular policy, he is brought in a pre -written script. Before the interview, all issues are discussed in advance. If I had now worked on television and did what some of my former colleagues are doing, then I would just shoot myself. ”

The promotion mechanisms of the election campaign of 1999–2000, when the victory of the current party of power and the future (then) of President Putin was injected, became a lady. Pavel Sheremet today is ashamed to recall the frantic propaganda that was forced to engage in journalists at the Prochrevsky ORT

* * Two weeks before the presidential elections in March 2000, Pavel Sheremet wrote a statement about leaving the Information Program with Pavel Sheremet. . The television critic, the dean of the Higher School and the Radio Freedom Radio, Anna Kachkayeva recalls: “Over the past two months before the 1999 parliamentary elections, the country's life has disappeared. Even experts disappeared from supposedly analytical programs. The presenters turned into fighters and themselves were analysts, sociologists, political scientists. All information issues of the fall of 1999 began with the fact that Putin declared, where and with whom he met, where he went, whom he condemned, whom he congratulated. The viewer forever memorized large plans that television replicated for two months in a row: the prime minister in the pilot’s helmet at the stunning of a fighter, a prime minister in a pilot of a naval officer, a prime minister, surrounded by old people, women, children. ”

Kachkayeva recalls that, promoting Putin and “lowering” his opponents, the television people did not disdain anything: a fancy mixture of filming of special services, violent comments, rude, lies, rudeness, insults and obscenities spilled onto the screen. Political opponents were accused of all mortal sins.

Signs and signals experts interviewed by The New Times believe that it was in the 1999–2000 television campaign that the main mechanisms of promotion of the hero of the leader were laid down, methods of discrediting political opponents were tested, a signal system was worked out, according to which the electorate should guess the preferences of the authorities. It is these mechanisms that are used now. (If in Soviet times the hierarchy of the highest nomenclature was determined by the arrangement on the Mausoleum during parades, now they are wondering about the presence of officials at Christmas and Easter worship.)

The screen image of the new President Medvedev in 2008 was sculpted by Putin's happy pattern: Medvedev and skis, Medvedev and supporters, Medvedev and Patriarch, Medvedev and children, says Kachkaeva. A little later, on television, the image of the tandem arose, which all these years existed in the paradigm "Teacher-teacher", "Senior Jr.". The calculation of the minutes of the broadcast diverted by Medvedev and Putin on different channels turned into fun for experts and became the subject of analysis in the statistics of the Medialogi company. Anna Kachkayeva is sure: the type of “gadget-boy”, which created television-and quite consciously-for Medvedev, is not a competitor to the image of Putin's “leader-father”.

An imitation of imitation of a stormy television campaign is now awaiting. “I am predicting a boring campaign,” says Nikolai Svanidze. - The parliamentary will be less boring than the presidential, because there is a real struggle for the opportunity to go to the Duma. But there will be no special battles on the air. To whom the administrative resource will be allocated will pass. Obviously, this is United Russia, the Communist Party, LDPR. The only intrigue is who will be the fourth, “fair Russia” or “right -handed”?

“We will not see bright election battles,” political scientist Dmitry Oreshkin is sure. “The strong critics of the authorities and the new players will be carefully removed from the air, the usual“ Show from the barrel ”with Zyuganov was already tired of, and even the non -boring Zhirinovsky was old.”

However, Sergey Dorenko, who recently returned to the blue screen with the Russian Tales program on REN TV, assured The New Times that in his programs it would not pass by those “impudent and offended people who strive to break the system.” These Dorenko believes Alexei Navalny, the leaders of the new “Nah-Nah” movement Boris Nemtsov and Viktor Shenderovich, who call on the fellow citizens on December 4 to vote against all, as well as the former speaker of the Federation Council Sergey Mironov. “In my programs, I have already said that“ nah-nah ”is a dirty campaign against Mikhail Prokhorov, and Sergei Mironov in his statements is guided by personal grievances and ambitions.”

Nikolai Svanidze is sure that there will be no opposition on television screens of state channels: “There is no direct censorship on TV. But each editor or presenter must understand what is possible and what is impossible. An internal censor is very strong, and it is even worse than a censor from the outside. ”

“On TV channels, everything will be quite traditional - imitation of imitation,” Anna Kachkaeva sums up. -Maybe there will be some kinds of fights of Dorenko, Kurginyan

* This refers to the program of Nikolai Svanidze on the channel "Russia 1" The Historical Process. , small scandalrs who will revive the clearing, and nothing more. Autumn on TV will be rather carnival, which is not related to reality. ”

There will be no war? If with the parliamentary campaign more or less clear, then the presidential raises questions. What will we see on the television screen?

“If Putin goes to the polls, then it does not need to be promoted,” says Nikolai Svanidze. - The same thing is Medvedev. If Putin puts someone third for the elections, then this candidate will win with minimal promotion. ” There will be no information wars between the channels, Swanidze is sure. Even if both go to the polls - both Putin and Medvedev, then television in this war will not participate, the forces are too unequal. The leaders of the television channels are super -fed and seasoned people, they will never risk it. And if Medvedev is involved in the game, without coordinating his choice with the Prime Minister, which is unlikely, not a single channel will support him. ”

Sergei Dorenko has no doubt that no change of ruling team is expected. “The worst dream for the television leadership: if Putin suddenly takes a step aside and moves away. Then the situation in the country is destabilized. The elites want everything to go, as it goes. Therefore, there will be two trends on television. One soothing - the plane flies, the engine works. The second - political technologists and political scientists will try to impose anxiety, urging the population to go to the polls. I would have made them all the languages. If the television authorities asked me: "Do I need to inflate the situation, imitate the struggle?" - I would tell them: you are just engaged in nonsense, knocking out the budget. Elections can be won inertial, without any panic. All the panic, who are trying to inflate the election struggle, just want a dough. ”

Dmitry Oreshkin recalled that all federal channels directly or indirectly belong to people from the inner circle of Putin Prime Minister. “Only NTV can be considered presidential to some extent, and even until the time, while Nikolai Senkevich sits in Gazprom-Media,” the political scientist explained. - If the situation between the clans worsens, then to reorient NTV for the prime minister is a matter of one week. Duda, like a vertical, can only be one - otherwise why everything was started. ”

Moreover, most experts interviewed by The New Times agree: whatever this election television campaign, it will be the last to attract attention. The next will be focused on the Internet ...