Project Description

The collapse of the Soviet Union is one of the most significant events of the twentieth century. It will have repercussions around the globe for years to come.

While there is a great deal of coverage of formal, state-to-state US-Russian relations in the mainstream American media, there has been much less coverage about the lives of ordinary Russians.

The Russia Project moves beyond stereotypes and puts a human face on Russia's challenges. It contains these elements:

Descriptions of the Two Documentaries

Hour one:
"Russia: Ten Years After the Soviet Collapse"

The people of Russia are the best mirror of a nation. Yuri was a radio reporter who ended up founding Moscow's largest rock station. Andre's entire factory almost closed when the bosses were caught stealing company assets. Meet them and other ordinary Russians that producer Reese Erlich interviewed in 1990 and learn how their lives have paralleled the achievements and disasters of the new Russia. Walter Cronkite also reminisces about his years as a foreign correspondent in Moscow.

Hour two:
"Russia: Can This Be Democracy?"

Walter Cronkite hosts correspondents' reports on a potential nuclear and environmental disaster, chaos in the Russian military, the human toll of the war in Chechnya, the fate of Soviet dissidents, and a looming battle against American pop culture. Cronkite and Russian journalist Vladimir Pozner compare press freedom in Russia and the United States.

Host and Producer

Hosted by Walter Cronkite
Produced by Reese Erlich

Reporters include:

Satellite Feeds and Availability

Hour One:
"Russia: Ten Years After the Soviet Collapse" will feed Monday, December 3, 2001, at 1500-1559 (ET) on channel A68.1S.

Hour Two:
"Russia: Can This Be Democracy?" will feed Monday, December 3, 2001, at 1600-1659 (ET) on channel A68.1S.

Both documentaries are also available to stations on broadcast quality CDs.

Clocks

Both documentaries are NPR newscast compatible hours with a mid-program, one-minute optional cutaway.

Rights and Use Window

The documentaries are available free of charge to all non-commercial stations. Stations are asked to air the documentaries between the feed date and Sunday, December 9, 2001, to take advantage of national press coverage.

Stations may air either one of the documentaries, or both, through Sunday, March 31, 2002.

Stations may excerpt segments from the documentaries if attribution to the Russia Project is provided.

All carriage must be reported to the Ken Mills Agency prior to broadcast.

Scheduling Suggestions

The documentaries are best aired in one, two-hour block. They are also suitable to be aired at the same time on consecutive days or consecutive weeks. Excerpts may be appropriate for breaks in national and local news magazines.

Project Support

The Russia Project is made possible by the Stanley Foundation, in association with KQED Public Radio in San Francisco, California.

The foundation has made possible the Iran Project, a public radio documentary and online initiative. The foundation also made possible the American RadioWorks™ documentaries "Revisiting Vietnam."

The foundation also produces Common Ground, radio's weekly program on world affairs, and World Press Review, a monthly magazine that provides readers with a succinct view of the political and economic climate outside of the United States.

For More Information

Please contact:
Ken Mills
KEN MILLS AGENCY
1635 Kelly Drive
Minneapolis, MN 55427
763-513-9988
763-513-1689 fax

© 2001 by The Stanley Foundation
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