Voice of Russia

The Voice of Russia
Type Radio network
Country Russia
Availability International
Owner Rossiya Segodnya
(owner before 9 Dec 2013:
All-Russia State Television and Radio Company)
Launch date
 22 December 1993 (1993-12-22)
Dissolved 9 November 2014 (2014-11-09)
Former names
 Radio Moscow
Official website
 http://rus.ruvr.ru (inactive)
Replaced by Sputnik

The Voice of Russia (Russian: Голос России, tr. Golos Rossii), commonly abbreviated VOR, was the Russian government's international radio broadcasting service from 1993 until 2014, when it was reorganised as Radio Sputnik.[1] Its interval signal was a chime version of 'Majestic' chorus from the Great Gate of Kiev portion of Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky.

History

On 22 December 1993, Russian President Boris Yeltsin issued a decree which reorganised Radio Moscow with a new name: The Voice of Russia.[2]

A popular feature of The Voice of Russia was Moscow Mailbag, which answered listeners' questions in English about Russia. Until 2005, the programme was presented by Joe Adamov, who was known for his command of the English language and his good humour.

On 9 December 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a presidential decree liquidating The Voice of Russia as an agency, and merging it with RIA Novosti to form the Rossiya Segodnya international news agency.[3]

Several reports published in 2013 claimed that The Voice of Russia was to cease its shortwave radio service as of 1 January 2014 due to budget cuts. However, service continued into the new year.[4] Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the Rossiya Segodnya, said in March 2014 that "We will stop using obsolete radio broadcasting models, when the signal is transmitted without any control and when it is impossible to calculate who listens to it and where."[5] The Voice of Russia ceased shortwave and European mediumwave broadcasting effective 1 April 2014.[6] The service had continued to be available worldwide via the internet, in selected regions on satellite, and in several cities on FM, AM (in North America) or local digital radio.

On 10 November 2014, The Voice of Russia was replaced by Radio Sputnik, part of the Sputnik News multimedia platform operated by Rossiya Segodnya.[1]

Former transmission network

Antenna of The Voice of Russia in Wachenbrunn, Germany

The transmission network consisted of at least 30 high-power transmission sites (West to East, with first transmission dates):

The Voice of Russia had broadcast in short, medium and longwave formats, in DAB+, Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM), HD Radio, as well as through cable, satellite transmission, and in mobile networks. VOR's internet coverage was available in as many as thirty-eight languages.

WNSW in Newark, New Jersey, simulcast an English-language version of The Voice of Russia until 2014.

Broadcast languages

In 2013, The Voice of Russia had broadcast in thirty-eight (38) languages, including:[7]

References

  1. 1 2 "The Voice of Russia becomes Sputnik". uk.SputnikNews.com. The Voice of Russia. 10 November 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Boris Yeltsin's decree in Russian language". InnovBusiness.ru.
  3. ↑ "President Vladimir Putin issues decree to reorganize Voice of Russia, RIA Novosti to Rossia Segodnya news wire". VoiceofRussia.com. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "Voice of Russia Radio stops shortwave service". RIA Novosti. 21 August 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  5. ↑ "Russia Today's English newswire to be launched in April". VoiceofRussia.com. 23 March 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  6. ↑ "Voice of Russia to abandon shortwave in April 2014". The SWLing Post blog. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  7. ↑ "About us". VoiceofRussia.com. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
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