Russia-1 Россия-1 |
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Launched | 13 May 1991 |
Network | VGTRK |
Owned by | Russian Government |
Picture format |
576i (SDTV) 16:9 1080i (HDTV) 16:9 |
Country | Russia |
Broadcast area | Nationwide |
Headquarters | Moscow, Russia |
Formerly called | 1965–1967: Program Three 1967–1971: Program Two 1972–1984: USSR Television All-Union Program Two 1984–1991: All-Union Channel 2 1991: Russian Television 1991–1997, 1998–2002: RTR 1997–1998: RTR1 2002–2010: Russia |
Sister channel(s) | Russia-2 (closed), Carousel, Russia-K, Russia-24, Sport, RTR-Planeta |
Website | http://russia.tv |
Availability
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Terrestrial | |
Analogue | Channel 3 (1965–1967) Channel 2 (Since 1967) |
Cable | |
Natsionalnye Kabelnye Seti | Channel 1 |
Russia-1 (Russian: Россия-1) is a state-owned Russian television channel founded in 1991. It belongs to the All-Russia State Television and Radio Company (VGTRK). Russia Channel was previously known as RTR (Russian: РТР). Russia-1 has the second largest audience in Russian television. In a typical week, it is viewed by 75% of urban Russians, compared to 83% for the leading channel, Channel One. The two channels are similar in their politics, and they compete directly in entertainment. Russia-1 has many regional variations and broadcasts in many languages.
Russia-1 had started in 1965 as Program 3 in the Soviet Union and moved to Channel 2 in 1967 when a new channel, Program 4 (now known as NTV), was officially launched and the Moscow Program, which started in 1956, was transferred to Channel 3. From the very start, it only hosted programs produced by the Ministry of Education of the Soviet Union, as well as children's programming, in monochrome. The move to a new channel frequency resulted in it being renamed Program 2 and becoming the second home of the national newscast Vremya since 1968.
Program 2 officially renamed itself All-Union Program 2 in 1972 and converted to color in 1975, and two years later became a nationwide station, being broadcast all over the Soviet Union. On January 1, 1982 AUP2 officially began to broadcast, not just educational and children's programming but also culture and arts programming and sports, as it was officially permitted to take greater account of the needs and tastes of spectators in a changing era. In addition, it broadcast also documentaries, music videos and programming, and movies.
Starting New Year's Day 1984, All Union Program 2 was renamed All-Union Channel 2, and it pioneered the first ever rhythmic gymnastics broadcast the following year. By 1987, it was also the first channel to adopt sign language interpretation in the USSR and later supplemented by subtitles for the hard of hearing, all for its Vremya broadcast.
The official identification package for the channel was the star of the second antenna on a blue background with moving rings, symbolizing the radio waves, and the signature at the bottom of "II program", which then changed to "TV USSR." Around February 1988, a new ident replaced it: circles were fixed, disappeared inscription "TV USSR", and the background was light blue with a white gradient.