Sunday, May 26, 2013

RFE/RL's Russian Service

Fast Facts

  • Radio Svoboda is the leading international broadcaster in Russia and a leading locally based alternative to state-controlled media.
  • In Russia’s rapidly evolving media landscape, Radio Svoboda is an innovative, multi-media provider of accurate, independent and wide-ranging information and news.
  • Language: Russian
  • Coverage: 24 hours daily
  • Established: 1953
  • Distribution:  Radio (FM, AM, SW, CBL, Satellite), Internet (news site, social media)
  • Locations: Prague headquarters, Moscow
  • Staff: 82 in Prague and Moscow, approximately 100 stringers across the Russian Federation.


Media Environment

  • Freedom House Freedom of the Press Index, 2012: Not Free (172/197)
  • Reporters without Borders Press Freedom Index, 2012: 142nd/179
  • Russia continues to be one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.  The Committee to Protect Journalists has documented 19 murders of journalists in Russia since 2000; of these, 18 remain unsolved. Violent attacks against journalists are frequent and brutal.


Highlights

  • In 2012, the Russian Service has focused on providing more live video streams from events as well as providing more unique reporting.  During the May 2012 Moscow ¨March of Millions,¨ Svoboda's journalists provided complete live-streamed coverage. At any given point during the protest, more than 14,000 people were watching it live on Svoboda’s website. On the news gathering front, an investigative piece on how government supporters were paying people to attend pro-Putin rallies attracted more than 225,000 visits and went viral on social networks.
  • Radio Svoboda has almost tripled its web stats in last four years. The site attracts around 100,000 unique visitors each day and 1,800,000 unique visitors per month, 60% of whom are from Moscow and St. Petersburg.
  • Radio Svoboda is increasingly popular on Russian social networking sites such as vKontakte and MoiMir. The station actively engages with its audience on Facebook (facebook.com/radiosvoboda), Twitter(@SvobodaRadio), and online comment forums.
  • Radio Svoboda has led coverage of some of Russia’s most consequential stories over the last several years, including the imprisonment and trials of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the death in prison of Sergei Magnitsky, the emergence of the Khimki forest environmental movement and the mobilization of Russian popular protests since December 2011.

updated: 27 June 2012

Facts & Stats


Population
142,856,536 (2010 census)

Most Common Languages:
Russian, Over 100 minority languages of which 27 are considered official

Press Freedom Index (Freedom House):
Not Free, ranked 172 out of 197 (2012)

Press Freedom Index (RSF):
142 out of 179 (2011/2012)

Corruption Index (Transparency Int.):
143 out of 183 (2011)

Global Peace Index (IES):
153 out of 153 (2012)

Human Rights Watch:
Report on Russia (2012)

Amnesty International:
Russia Report (2012)

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