Vladislav Listyev | |
|---|---|
Владислав Листьев | |
.jpeg) Listyev in 1992 | |
| Born | Vladislav Nikolayevich Listyev (1956-05-10)May 10, 1956 |
| Died | March 1, 1995(1995-03-01) (aged 38) Moscow, Russia |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Resting place | Vagankovo Cemetery, Moscow |
| Spouse | Albina Nazimova |
Vladislav (Vlad) Nikolayevich Listyev (Russian:Владисла́в Никола́евич Листьев; May 10, 1956 – March 1, 1995) was a Soviet, later Russian journalist and head of the ORT TV Channel (now government-ownedChannel One).
Listyev was arguably the most popular journalist and TVanchor in Russia (he remains well remembered years after his death), and was a key force in bringing the voice of democracy to Russian television. Listyev first appeared on television as one of the hosts of a progressive and successful showVzglyad (Glance orOutlook) in the late 1980s. Vzglyad was an outstanding show for that time, after the premiere many people thought it was allowed on TV only by some mistake of censors. The program was ‘like a fresh wind’, it raised the questions that never before were allowed for public discussion, such as Stalin's Great Purge,death penalty, reconstruction of theCathedral of Christ the Saviour.[1] The program was watched weekly by as many as 100 million people.[2] The other anchors wereAlexander Lyubimov,Alexander Politkovsky,Dmitry Zakharov [ru],Artyom Borovik andYevgeny Dodolev.[3]
He was also the first host ofthe Russian version ofWheel of Fortune, which became popular. Following the success ofVzglyad, Listyev and his colleagues founded a TV companyVID (Vzglyad i Drugiye—The View and the Others) that would produce programming for theFirst Channel ofSoviet Central Television, the main TV channel in theSoviet Union (later reformed into1st channel Ostankino andORT). With VID, Listyev started a number of new TV projects —The Field of Wonders (the Russian version ofWheel of Fortune),Ugadai melodiu ("Guess the melody", the Russian version ofName That Tune),Tema ("The Theme"), andChas Pik ("The Rush Hour"). In 1995, Listyev moved from VID to ORT, where he was appointed director of the channel. One of Listyev's very first moves as director was to order a temporary stop to all advertising, in effect excluding all unauthorized middlemen out of the lucrative advertising business, and consolidating future ad sales in the hands of the channel.[3]
Shortly after his appointment, on the evening of March 1, 1995, when returning from the live broadcast of his evening showChas Pik, Listyev was shot dead[4] on the stairs of his apartment building. Valuables and a large sum in cash that Listyev had on him were left untouched, leading the investigators to conclude that the murder was either a political or business-related assassination. However, despite numerous claims made by investigators that the case was close to resolution, neither the gunmen, nor those who ordered the killing, were found.[5]
The killing caused an enormous public outcry—in an unprecedented move, ORT and several other Russian TV channels shut down for the whole day on March 2, displaying only a picture of Listyev and the words "Vladislav Listyev has been killed" (Russian:ВЛАДИСЛАВ ЛИСТЬЕВ УБИТ,romanized: VLADISLAV LIST'YEV UBIT).[6] Days later, the channel was reorganized and after a number of different incarnations, came back as the government-controlledChannel One that Russian viewers are now familiar with. Listyev's wake was visited by thousands of people, and PresidentBoris Yeltsin went to the Studios of Channel One himself to deliver a highly emotional eulogy praising Listyev and mourning his death as a great loss for Russia.[7]
There has been much speculation as to the reasons behind Listyev's murder, and two possible causes have been isolated as the most likely: financial and political. When Listyev put the middlemen advertising agencies out of business, he deprived many corrupt businessmen of a source for enormous profits. From the political standpoint, Listyev enjoyed an enormous popularity rating among Russian citizens and could potentially influence the political mood of the whole country.[citation needed]
Paul Klebnikov's article "Godfather of the Kremlin?" inForbes accusedBoris Berezovsky of ordering the murder.[8] Berezovsky sued the magazine for libel in British court. Klebnikov expanded allegations in his bookGodfather of the Kremlin: Boris Berezovsky and the looting of Russia. Forbes stated in court that it didn't have evidence of Berezovsky's complicity in Vlad Listyev's murder or any other murder.[8][9]
According toYuri Felshtinsky andVladimir Pribylovsky, top KGB officersAlexander Korzhakov and Alexander Komelkov may have plotted Listyev's murder at the hands ofSolntsevskaya Bratva. The authors implied that the motive was to steal the TV advertisement revenue and sponsorOleg Soskovets for Russia's presidency. The authors believed that Korzhakov also used the murder to blame Berezovsky and to prepare his arrest.[10]
