Speaking is presenter Mikhail Fishman of the independent Russian news channelTV Rain. He complains that he had to swerve. As a journalist, he thinks heshould be in Russia. “Working in Moscow was crucial for me. The viewers knewthat the coverage about Russia also concerned me personally. I was in the sameboat as my audience.”
He has been making his program since the summer And so on for the YouTubechannel of TV Rain (in Russian: Dozhd) from Amsterdam. And now TV Rain opensits own studio in the DPG Media building in Amsterdam. The channel will gofull again on Monday after an interruption of almost seven months **** in theair.
The TV Rain team is preparing for the first broadcast in the new studio:
Russian TV Rain broadcasts from the Netherlands about war
Working in exile does have practical objections from a journalistic point ofview, says Fishman. “The question is, of course, where do I get myinformation? TV Rain has always had a reputation for reporting what washappening on the streets and in society. Whether it was protests or lawsuits,or the poisoning of opposition leader Navalny, we were there. , at location.”
TV Rain has a network of journalists who operate anonymously. “As a result, weknow and understand what is happening in the Kremlin and in the war, even ifit is less than before.” When Fishman speaks of his resources in Russia, thereis hesitation in his voice: he doesn’t want to endanger them in any way. “Fearis everywhere,” Fishman says resignedly.
The final preparations are now being made in the studio. The TV Rain logohangs on the wall, not in the usual pink, but in yellow and blue – theUkrainian colors. Technicians are working on transmitters and microphones.Fishman reads the autocue. “Is the letter big enough?” is the question fromthe control room. “It’s okay,” Fishman says.
We need to get out of the misery created by Russia together.>> Channel director Natalja Sindejeva
Founder and director Natalja Sindejeva is also present during the trial run.She says that they managed to raise the money through a fundraising campaign.European funds for independent journalism and private donors from around theworld contributed. And there were also viewers from Russia. “But that is notabout a lot of money, because it is difficult to transfer large amounts abroadfrom Russia.”
The studio’s decor was designed and made in Ukraine and came to theNetherlands with trucks a few days ago. Channel boss Sendejeva: “We thinkthat’s important; the Ukrainian economy needs orders. And we have to get outof the misery created by Russia together.”
Since the departure from Russia, the demand for a restart of TV Rain has beenhigh, says Sindejeva. The channel is popular for news programs like Here andnow and also for satirical programs about the fake news on the Russian statechannels.
These Russians tell correspondent Iris de Graaf why it is important that TVRain can continue to broadcast:
Russians respond to censored channel that now broadcasts from the Netherlands
After the outbreak of war in late February, TV Rain continued to broadcastonline for three more days. Then the government completely blocked thechannel. TV Rain had not had access to the cable for years: it had alreadybeen denied access to the cable in 2014, after the occupation of Crimea andthe war in the Donbas.
Kremlin opposition has dominated the station’s existence from the verybeginning in 2010. But the station has learned to switch quickly. And the factthat the political tide is not going well has contributed to its popularity:with every **** crisis in Russia, ratings skyrocket. Fishman himself takescare of that as a leading face. Viewers praise him for his moral steadfastnessand involved analyses.
Few million viewers per day
They have now attracted more than 55 million unique visitors with theirYouTube broadcasts in recent months. “We have a few million viewers a day,”Sindejeva says.
Fishman is happy that the station can operate at full strength again fromMonday. Then they can do what ultimately matters: reporting the war to aRussian audience inside and outside Russia. “The viewers of my program havelong since turned away from all the propaganda that is poured out daily inRussia. They want to know what is really happening.”