Russia-K (russian: Россия Культура, translit=Rossiya Kul'tura "Russia - Culture") is a Russian nationwide not-for-profit television channel that broadcasts shows regarding arts and culture. It belongs to the state-controlled VGTRK group.

History

The creation of ''Kultura'' channel was authorised on 25 August 1997 after the presidential Decree No. 919 was signed by

Boris Yeltsin Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin ( rus, Борис Николаевич Ельцин, p=bɐˈrʲis nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtsɨn, a=Ru-Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin.ogg; 1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician wh ...

. Its creation was supported by

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well ...

Dmitry Likhachyov Dmitry Sergeyevich Likhachov (russian: Дми́трий Серге́евич Лихачёв, also ''Dmitri Likhachev'' or ''Likhachyov''; – 30 September 1999) was a Russian medievalist, linguist, and a former inmate of Gulag. During his lifet ...

, Rolan Bykov and other public figures.

Mikhail Shvydkoy Mikhail Yefimovich Shvydkoy (russian: Михаи́л Ефи́мович Швыдко́й; born September 5, 1948, Kant, Chuy Region, Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR) is a Soviet and Russian theater critic, drama, social and political activ ...

became the first editor-in-chief of Kultura. The channel began broadcasting on 1 November 1997 at 10:00 AM. At the stage of launching, it was planned that it would be called "RTR-2" (while RTR was labeled as RTR-1). The corresponding logo was briefly used in a number of printed TV programs, while the stylized "K" letter was used as the logo from the beginning of broadcast. The channel was rebranded as ''Russia-Culture'' (''Rossiya-K'') on 1 January 2010 along with three other main channels of the VGTRK group. The channel re-transmitted ''

Euronews Euronews (styled on-air in lowercase as euronews) is a European television news network, headquartered in Lyon, France. The network began broadcasting on 1 January 1993 and covers world news from a European perspective. The majority of Eurone ...

'' European news channel from 2 October 2001 to 3 September 2017. From 2007 until 2010, it broadcast children's programming produced by

Bibigon Bibigon (Russian: Бибигон) was a Russian television channel dedicated to children and adolescents. The channel, a subsidiary of Russia-1 and owned by VGTRK, was first launched on 1 September 2007. It was originally launched as a block i ...

. Sergey Shumakov has been the editor-in-chief since 2009. The TV channel does not broadcast advertisements, but it promotes cultural events.

Programming

The channel specializes in programs about Russian and world history,

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

, fine and

decorative arts ] The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose object is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. It includes most of the arts making objects for the interiors of buildings, and interior design, but not usua ...

, and

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

. The programs include

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" al ...

concerts,

operas Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libret ...

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

s, and musical competitions. Among the channel's other programs are culture news, documentaries, lectures by leading domestic and foreign scholars, discussions on various aspects of social life. The channel often features interviews with artists, writers, scientists, politicians, and military figures.

Logos and identities

File:Russia-Cultura.png, Russia-K's fifth logo only used in 2010 File:Russia-Cultura.svg, Russia-K's seventh logo from 2012-2017

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Russia K Russian-language television stations in Russia Television channels and stations established in 1997 1997 establishments in Russia Commercial-free television networks Classic television networks