Ownership Structure of Russian Media

The relationship between news and power is a historical phenomenon. Governments are concerned with supervision and surveillance in all areas, from the production of information to the distribution and control of unwanted information. These processes (generating information, disseminating information and blocking undesirable information) can only be possible with media. Today, news and information-centered relations, especially the construction of social processes, are provided by the media. For this reason, there is a parallel relationship between the power organization of the countries and the media structure. Governments are directly involved in the management of media broadcasting. However, the source of political legitimacy in democracies is based on citizens and their preferences. But most of the citizens shape their political preferences with the information that they receive from the media. The media s ability to influence ideas is transformed into the capacity to shape management. Thus, media ownership structures and media ownership researches are important factors in terms of concepts such as hegemony, state and democracy. Likewise, it is not a coincidence that in many non-democratic countries media ownership and media control are united in the hands of governments.On the other hand, media is a necessity in terms of maintaining power and expressing itself. In this respect, today s media and power involve a symbiotic relationship. In this study, the current media ownership structure of Russia is discussed. Firstly, the historical process of Russian media in terms of ownership has been examined and then the top ten newspapers (Izvestiya, Kommersant,Vedomosti, Rossiyskaya Gazete, Novaya Gazeta, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Moskovskiy Komsomolets, Parlamentskaya Gazeta, Argumentı i Fakti and Argumenti Nedeli), television (Rossiya 1, Perviy Kanal, NTV, Pyatiy Kanal, TNT, REN TV, STS, Domashniy, TV Tsentr and TV-3) and radio channels (Avtoradio, Evropa Plyus, Retro FM, Russkoe Radio, Vesti FM, Dorojnoe Radio, Eho Moskvi, Radio Shanson, Radio Energy and Radio Dacha) according to the rate of circulation, rating and recreation have been evaluated in terms of media ownership. As a result, it is determined that the media ownership structure has a single centered appearance. The Russian media is managed by a mix of chronism and nepotism. The media system, characterized by a painful democratization process and the pursuit of a chronic rigid authority, has been defined as “Post-Soviet Russian Theory”.