Russias last politically independent television station, TV2 in Tomsk, Siberia, fell silent on the stroke of midnight Wednesday night as the country rang in the New Year with a televised address by President Vladimir Putin after a state transmission service forced it off air. As the stirring lyrics of the Russian national anthem welled up on TV2 following Putins speech, with an onscreen image of Russians tricolor flying above the Kremlin, the stations signal was cut. For TV2 Tomsk that means — like Moscows Dozhd TV forced off cable schedules last January — switching to cable and Internet services to get its broadcasts out after it failed to win a reprieve from closure by RTRS, which claimed its license was no longer valid. The regional branch of Russian Radio and Television Broadcasting Network (RTRS) said it would not renew a transmission contract due to expire Dec. 31. Founded in November 1990 and on air since May 1991, the multi-award-winning station earned a reputation for fearless, balanced reporting. A year ago, it was the only TV station in Russia that broadcast Putins Games, a German-made documentary that exposed corruption surrounding the Sochi Winter Olympics. hollywoodreporter/news/authorities-pull-plug-russias-last-760879
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 12:46:49 +0000
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