Viktor Shkulev became the new publisher of Fontanka

Media manager Viktor Shkulev has become the new owner of a controlling stake in Azhur-media JSC, which publishes the Internet newspaper Fontanka.

“This deal is the largest on the St. Petersburg media market in recent times and one of the largest in the country in the category of electronic media <...> Today, the company’s shareholders are five individuals, including the founders of the project,” the publication’s website reports .

“This event opens up new prospects and opportunities for Fontanka,” said Andrey Konstantinov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Azhur-Media. — The long-standing dream of those who created the online newspaper was to find a reliable and professional partner with whom we could develop our project together. I am very pleased that Viktor Shkulev, whom we have known since 1994, since working at Komsomolskaya Pravda, showed interest in Fontanka.

Konstantinov added that no major changes in the editorial policy of the publication are expected, but he is counting on changes in the part of the business.

Shkulev himself noted that "non-engagement is one of such powerful positions or very important components in the business model available in Fontanka, and in the potential that can be used to develop this business." According to him, the media and the authorities “may have different points of view, but it is necessary to conduct a certain dialogue so that in this dialogue everyone, understanding each other, either remains in a position of cooperation, or at least takes neutrality.” The media manager called the fact that the block of shares was acquired before the election of the governor of St. Petersburg an accident.

“We started negotiations a year and a half ago. It was a long process. We did a certain number of audits as it should be, we discussed all the details for a long time. Now this process is complete. In the end, for us, as for the investors of this project, whether a governor is elected or not, it does not matter. Still, we are more oriented to something else: to the market and to what the citizens of this market are interested in. We know for sure that political news is not a priority for our audience,” Shkulev said.

Viktor Shkulev is the president of the Hearst Shkulev Publishing group of companies, which owns a network of city portals in 15 regions, including in all million-plus cities, with the exception of Moscow. Herst Shkulev is the publisher of the glossy magazines Maxim, Elle, Marie Claire, Woman's Day, the TV guide "Antenna-Telesem" and a number of other online and print projects.