The non-profit organization Academy of Russian Television (ART) has asked the government to include regional TV in the list of industries most affected by the spread of coronavirus. The Academy, which is uniting the interests of Russian broadcasters and television producers, says hat the role of television in providing objective coverage of the current situation is more important than ever fort he Russian regions.

At the same time, state support will help prevent staff cuts in the regions and will give television companies a chance to survive the crisis. The appeal was signed by TV presenter Vladimir Pozner, journalist Kirill Nabutov, GM of Public Television of Russia Anatoly Lysenko, and the heads of regional television companies: Sergey Trubitsin, Rustam Zarafutdinov, Stanislav Belyakov, Pavel Devaykin, Mikhail Mikshis and Mark Minin.

Earlier, the head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sergey Katyrin, proposed introducing support measures for regional and municipal mass media, which lost up to 90% of advertising revenue due to the pandemic. At the same time, the role of regional media is very significant in the current conditions: they are more influential than the federal ones, as they better take into account territorial features and reflect the consequences of the spread of the epidemic.