Vladimir Lensky: “Yessing to the audience is incredibly boring!”

Time Code with Vladimir Lensky and Ekaterina Kotrikadze is released on Fridays, on 7 PM in the evening on the time of New York

There have been some bad rumors about RTVI, one of the oldest international Russian-language TV channels in the world, recently. The new investor does not give the promised money, the American editorial office is falling apart, the presenters are leaving... We decided to check what is happening in the channel's New York office. And they turned to Vladimir Lensky, the host of the Time Code program (broadcast on Fridays at 7 pm New York time). The project has returned from vacation in an updated format. Now it is dedicated to America and only to it. In addition, Vladimir Lensky was joined by co-host - head of the New York edition of RTVI Ekaterina Kotrikadze. The RTVI star told ForumDaily about the situation on the TV channel and broadcast from America (which has not gone away).

— Volodya, first of all, congratulations! The premiere was a success. This is not just my opinion - I read the comments under the first issue of Time Code after the holidays YouTube. There were, of course, some pretty harsh reviews. For example, “many viewers of your show support Trump. Please keep this in mind. Otherwise you risk losing a significant part of your audience.“Volodya, what would you answer to this viewer?

- Thank you for your congratulations. For viewers who disagree with the criticism of President Trump, I would still ask you to continue watching us. I think everyone can benefit from hearing a point of view different from their own. We don’t scold the president just to scold him. We carefully study the comments of American political scientists - both conservative and liberal. Our task is not to assent to the audience - this is incredibly boring, and believe me, no one needs it at all. We are obliged to show our viewers what views and points of view are currently colliding in the United States, to show a picture of the American week. Sometimes it pleases the eye, sometimes it is extremely unpleasant to look at this painting.

- I see, so in the American Time Code - America is what it really is? That is, “Time Code” - this is a mirror, and there’s nothing to blame for it?

— Yes, we really try to reflect events and points of view objectively. If there are problems, then we are obliged to talk about them.

- Volodya, The American agenda is not just Washington. 50 states, more than 300 million US residents. How to cover the news of such a gigantic country, how do you plan to tell about America to those who do not know it from the inside? After all, Time Code is watched not only in the USA, right?

— Absolutely right, we have to find a balance, find angles in our stories - so as to reveal the essence of events, so that the information is accessible and interesting not only to Americans, but also to everyone who is interested in America. I think we should not underestimate the level of training and knowledge of our audience. Our viewers - both in the United States and around the world - do not need to explain, for example, what the Senate is. They are much more interested in learning in detail about the political processes behind the scenes of the upper house of Congress.

— How do you select stories for the program? How do you conduct meetings and distribute tasks?

— This process is always collegial. We discuss topics in the editorial office starting from Tuesday until the end of the week. Often the main theme is easy to determine; events dictate the choice. But as for other topics, there are of course disputes. We hope that the truth is born in them.

— Volodya, why did the format of the program change? Time Code used to be international, but now it has become purely American.

— This is due to the updated concept of the entire channel. We live and work “on both sides” - this is the main slogan of RTVI. We have studios in New York and Moscow. This concept is reflected in our international weekly program “New Results”, which uses new resources and channel capabilities. Nevertheless, we believe that the United States is a very important country for us, which deserves a separate weekly analytical program.

- Yes, you have new decorations now, right? The old Time Code came out of a traditional studio familiar to the viewer. And now, judging by the picture on the screen, you are going on air directly from the editorial office.

- Listen, of course, we save. But you will be surprised: the current concept fully corresponds to our idea of ​​beauty. In modern realities, no one needs studios in the classical sense. This is the spirit of the times: less artificial scenery, less staged pictures. We are leaving the editorial office, and this is cool: look, we are working here, collecting information for you, our process is 24/7. As the director of our channel says, “the studio is a word of the past.” For new media, the main thing is to have something to say.

— Volodya, well, as I understand it, you are not used to change! How many years have you been on television and how did you start?

— I started in the 92nd year of the last century (laughs). My first job was the Vesti program of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Company. I didn’t work there for long, however, and soon moved to the newly created NTV. After moving to America, he worked for NTV, TV-6, and Channel One.

- And here you are Rtvi - for five years already. There is so much talk around the TV channel now. There was a wave of layoffs in New York, and a large editorial staff in Moscow. It would be correct to call Rtvi - not “Russian-language”, as it was previously deciphered, but already “Russian” television?

- No, I think this is a wrong interpretation. RTVI has a wide correspondent network, our American Time Code is broadcast, and our colleagues in Israel produce “Israel in a Week.” This is an international Russian-language TV channel. Please note: the main news release comes from two editorial offices - Moscow and New York, and it is extremely important for us to remain unbiased and confirm the concept “on both sides” on a daily basis.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Journalist Tikhon Dzyadko - why he left for America and why he wants to return to Russia

RTVI presenter Lisa Kaimin talks about rich Russians and dashing guys from the 90s in the USA

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