The Vesti program celebrated the 35th anniversary of the start of broadcasting

Exactly 35 years ago, on May 13, 1991, the channel that later became the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK) began broadcasting. On the same day, the first edition of the Vesti news program was broadcast. On May 13, Izvestia correspondent Pavel Kuznetsov told the details of the creation of the project.

A melody that every inhabitant of the country can guess from three notes, a screensaver that millions of Russians see every day, and people who talk live about the main thing. And so it has been for almost 35 years. First there was the legendary troika, who burst onto the TV screens in every apartment in new Russia.

New television and radio appeared in Russia 35 years ago. It was with the first issue of Vesti that the history of the All—Russian State Television and Radio Company, VGTRK, began.

Vesti is a phenomenon that certainly changes time and changes with the country. First of all, this is a team led by [the CEO of VGTRK] Oleg Borisovich Dobrodeev, thanks to whom Vesti is," said Olga Armyakova, presenter of the Vesti program.

At first, everything looked like a gamble: correspondents, presenters, cameramen, and directors left Ostankino and joined a TV channel that had not existed before. It was a challenge — to time, to ourselves, and to history, which eventually put everything in its place.

"I remember the first episodes of the Vesti program, which were released in 1991, when there was a huge demand for human faces on the air. And this is what made Vesti different from the old Soviet television," said Ernest Mackevicius, the presenter of Vesti.

Today, VGTRK is the largest media holding in Europe. There are several radio stations, TV channels, and the main one is Russia 1, the highest—rated.

"The work here is in full swing around the clock, so my colleagues asked me to keep my voice down. There are 11 time zones on the screens. Here, in real time, as it is called by TV people, a layout of broadcasts is formed for the whole country — from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok," the Izvestia correspondent showed.

Vesti reporters are always there where something is happening: promptly and objectively, from hot spots, from caves, regardless of climatic conditions. Their names are already synonymous with information. RT's editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, Sergey Brilev, and Arina Sharapova passed through Vesti. It can be listed endlessly.

"The history of VGTRK is the chronicle of the country. Specifically, this archive contains editions of Vesti and other programs dating back to the 90s. A documentary chronicle of how Russia was changing in the lenses of reporters' cameras," Kuznetsov said.

Vesti from the sidelines is the business card of VGTRK. No one shows such a big policy.

"It's just very interesting for us to work — for our whole team. We are really very interested. And we try to keep the audience interested, too. I hope we are succeeding," said Pavel Zarubin, political commentator for the Vesti program, author and host of the Moscow program. Kremlin. Putin."

And it turns out, judging by the ratings. And there are also regional "Vesti" in each of the 89 regions of Russia. About 20,000 employees are not just a team, but a family. And even on their birthday, family members are at work: some are on set, some are in the studio or editorial office. People are waiting for Vesti, and they come in their own style, which the audience loved so much.

On March 26, Izvestia correspondent Sergey Prudnikov won the Golden Pen of Russia professional Award in the nomination "For Bravery in the Line of Duty." The award was given for a cycle of 11 materials from the Kursk region. The series is based on reports on the crucial events of March 2025. Among the works submitted to the competition are an exclusive from the newly liberated Sudzha, a text about the salvation of church valuables in the Sudzha district, and a report on Operation Potok.