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Media Should Retain Economic Independence - Russian Deputy Premier

Posted on: Wednesday, 1 March 2006, 09:00 CST

Text of report by Russian Channel One TV on 1 March

[Presenter] Prospects for the development of the mass media have been discussed at a news conference in Moscow today. First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev came here to meet the management of the leading TV and radio companies. Our correspondent has the details.

[Correspondent] Heads of leading print media, TV and radio companies and publishers - those who are called the Fourth Power - and representatives of the power itself in its classical interpretation gathered here.

At first sight they discussed professional issues, at the same time, it is up to them to determine what the published newspapers will look like and what will be shown on TV. First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev declared the strengthening of the media's economic independence over the recent years.

[First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev, captioned] The media market is among the most dynamically developing markets of our country. And by 2008 its combined volume should reach 8bn or about 8bn dollars. On the whole it is gratifying that gradually the media industry is turning into a normal business, a paying business, rather than a subsidized one, and it is becoming a modern sector of the national economy.

[Correspondent] Advertising is the foundation of the media's economic independence. There is no quality television without advertising. However, viewers are not happy when there is too much of it. Dmitriy Medvedev did not rule out that in the future the law on advertising might be changed.

[Medvedev] The planned changes in the media legislation on advertising should not weaken the economic independence of this economic foundation of the mass media. Among other things, those who are present here, the professionals, the whole civil society, should work on designing an optimal model for this.

[Correspondent] The issue of protecting intellectual property remains topical as well. Dmitriy Medvedev described the successes in this area as rather modest.

Nevertheless, according to Medvedev the things will start moving soon. In the near future he plans to hold a meeting of the commission on intellectual property. The draft of the fourth part of the Civil Code will be discussed there.

[Video shows the conference in Moscow, Medvedev speaking]

[c/r 120820-120850] [c/r 120900-120930]

Source: BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union

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