The socio-political talk show "60 Minutes", which has been received quite a lot of reviews lately, is a popular project of Russian television, which has been aired since September 2016. The program goes on the TV channel "Russia-1", its leaders are Olga Skabeeva and Evgeny Popov. The project has already been twice awarded the TEFI national television award.
Project Description
Reviews about the "60 minutes" can be found the most controversial: someone likes the program, the viewer wants not to miss a single episode, others are unhappy with the position taken by the presenters, the way they communicate with guests.
The talk show is built according to a single scenario. In each issue, its participants discuss current issues of foreign and domestic policy in the country, as well as the most resonant events. To do this, well-known deputies, politicians and experts, usually from five to eight people, are invited to the studio. They have opposite points of view on the current situation. Some guests, as well as talk show hosts, support the official position of the Russian authorities, while others invite guests to criticize their actions and decisions.
At the same time, the task of the first group is to rhetorically impede the performances of opponents, explaining their position at this time. The latter are trying to convey their thoughts to the audience gathered on television screens, preventing a sufficiently powerful counteraction. In the course of this debate, in some cases there is a need to establish a video connection with domestic or foreign experts who want to speak out, but could not be present in the studio. Also involved in communication are politicians and journalists in order to find out their position on the topic, and then react to it accordingly, depending on the nature of the information provided.
Some of the issues are organized in such a way that one of the presenters is not in the studio itself, but reports directly from the place of the events covered, while the second communicates with guests in the film set.
The premiere of the 60 Minutes program took place on September 12, 2016. The program immediately went live on Moscow and the Far East. Initially, the talk show was released five times a week from Monday to Friday at 18.50, invariably broadcast live. From August in 2017 to October 2018, the format changed somewhat - the program began to be released twice a day on weekdays. The daily issue lasted from 13.00 to 14.00, and the evening - from 19.00 to 20.00.
Since October 1, the beginning of daytime and evening releases has shifted 10 minutes ago - now they appear on the air at 12.50 and 18.50 respectively.
Ratings
The feedback from the 60 Minutes program is closely monitored by the Russia-1 TV channel team. At the very beginning, its broadcast rating was 3.2%, and the share was 12.4%. These were indicators comparable to the talk show "Live" by Andrei Malakhov, which appeared on the same channel. It is noteworthy that the broadcast of "Live broadcast" was postponed an hour earlier, despite the fact that from 19 to 20 hours it was broadcast from 2013.
By the end of 2016, the “60 Minutes” program on “Russia” was among the three best socio-political projects that are released on weekdays. Such data was provided by the Kommersant newspaper; it makes a similar rating regularly.
Since 2017, Channel One is directly competing with this talk show - a program called First Studio. Communication with guests, the behavior of the hosts, the list of issues addressed in most cases coincide with the 60 minutes scenario. It should be noted that in the first six months after its appearance, the popularity and ratings of “60 minutes” were invariably higher than those of a competitor. Then the situation began to improve.
The popularity of the 60-minute program on the Rossiya channel is evidenced by the fact that the program has already won the TEFI award twice. In 2017 and 2018, she became the winner in the nomination "Prime-Time Social and Political Talk Show" in the "Evening Prime Time" category.
Evgeny Popov
Photos of the presenters of the 60 Minutes program are well known to all fans of social and political talk shows on Russian television. This is Evgeny Popov and Olga Skabeeva.
Popov was born in Vladivostok. He was born in 1978. His mother was a biology teacher at a local university. The future of the journalist was determined in his teens. Eugene became interested in this profession when he was at school. It is noteworthy that initially he dreamed of working in a newspaper, and not on television.
In fact, his professional debut took place at a local radio station where he in high school conducted a program called "Sacvoyage".
In 2000, Popov became a graduate of the Faculty of Journalism of the Far Eastern State University. In his student years, he worked in several local television and radio companies, including the state television and radio company Vladivostok, and the Public Television of Primorye.
Since 2000 , officially becomes a correspondent for the Vesti program in Vladivostok, and soon moves to Moscow. From this moment begins his active journalistic career, often associated with business trips to different parts of the world. Interestingly, one of his first reports on federal Vesti was from one of the most closed cities in the world - the capital of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Pyongyang.
In 2003, Popov moved to Kiev, where for two years he has been living as a special correspondent for the Rossiya television channel. As a rule, his reports dealt with the political situation in the former republic of the Soviet Union. In particular, he detailed the so-called "Orange Revolution." This is a large-scale campaign of peaceful protests, pickets, rallies and strikes, which continued in several large cities of Ukraine from November 2004 to January 2005 after the Ukrainian CEC announced Viktor Yanukovych as president of the country, who bypassed his election in the second round of elections main opponent Viktor Yushchenko. In most of his reports, Popov on the ideals and participants of the Orange Revolution spoke generally positively.
He returned to Moscow in 2005, becoming a political observer for the Vesti Nedelya project on an ongoing basis. In 2007, he went on another long-term business trip, this time to America. Together with the correspondent Konstantin Semin, he works in New York, and it is Popov who is the actual head of the Vesti bureau. For Russian viewers, he covered the life of American society.
Popov returned to Russia in 2013. He again finds himself in the Vesti project as a political observer. He regularly reports live from Kiev, talks about Euromaidan, and works with Anton Voloshin, who later died tragically in Ukraine in the early summer of 2014.
When the weekly news program was reformatted to Vesti + in the fall of 2013, Popov got his own author's project called Vesti at 23.00. In it, he replaced the leading Oksana Kuvaeva and Vasily Zhuravlev. From time to time, he replaced Dmitry Kiselyov in the Vesti main program, and over time he began to discuss in the studio with guests in the talk show Special Correspondent, which Arkady Mamontov had previously done.
Popov himself made reports for the Special Correspondent program. Including stories under the names "Blockade. Slavyansk", "Telemaydan." In the summer of 2014, the journalist replaces Andrei Kondrashov in the evening issues of the Vesti program on weekdays.
In September 2016, Popov was the host of the 60 Minutes program. This is a socio-political talk show dedicated to the discussion of topical issues on the agenda in Russia and around the world. To cover events from different angles and points of view, journalists invite people of different views to the studio. Among the guests of the "60 minutes" program are the current deputies of the State Duma, famous politicians, and experts in various fields and fields. They often express diametrically opposed opinions on the issues discussed.
The program always has a rubric when talking to a guest on the air by video. Participants in the 60 Minutes program, addressed by the presenters, are recognized world experts in one area or another. Moreover, most of them live abroad.
It is noteworthy that Popov is also the author of a documentary entitled "Media Literacy", which was released in 2016 as part of the Special Correspondent project. This tape tells about the geopolitical situation in Europe, in particular, discloses certain details and methods of waging information warfare.
Olga Skabeeva
The second presenter of the program "60 minutes" - Olga Skabeeva. She was born in the city of Volzhsky in the Volgograd region in 1984. She studied very well at school, and she decided on the choice of profession already in high school, deciding that she would be a journalist. Then she began to purposefully prepare for admission to the university.
Her career began with working in a small local newspaper called "City Week", where she received her first experience working with material, learned to write articles. After making sure that the choice was made correctly, Olga entered the Faculty of Journalism of St. Petersburg State University. She graduated with honors.
As a student, the future TV presenter has already begun to cooperate with the Vesti Saint Petersburg program, and when she officially became a certified specialist, she joined the federal editorial office of the state television and radio company.
Over the years spent on central television, Skabeeva managed to receive a large number of prestigious awards. For example, in 2007 she received the Golden Pen Award in the nomination “Perspective of the Year”, as well as a special prize of the Government of St. Petersburg intended for promising young people. A year later, she received the award for the "Profession Reporter" contest in the prestigious "Investigative Journalism" nomination.
After some time, Olga moved to Moscow, where she began to lead an author’s program called Vesti.doc, which was aired on Rossiya-1 TV channel. In this project, she masterfully managed to combine the principles of a classical journalistic investigation with communication in the studio with invited guests. However, she regularly criticized the Russian opposition. As a result, ill-wishers even dubbed her an offensive nickname "the iron doll of Vladimir Putin."
In 2016, Skabeeva recorded an interview with Hayo Zeppelt, who was born in Germany. Soon after this, Seppelt released the documentary project, Secrets of Doping. How Russia Makes Its Winners. The information voiced in it formed the basis of the report on the use of prohibited substances by Russian athletes at major international competitions. Soon after, the second part of the same documentary project, entitled “Secrets of Doping: Russian Distraction Maneuvers,” followed. The information voiced in the investigations received a strong international response, which even posed a threat to the participation of the Russian team in the 2016 Olympic Games.
Shortly before the Olympics, Olga tried to find out from Hajo, with whom she was personally acquainted, exactly what facts he was going to provide in order to confirm her position. However, the German journalist refused to communicate with the crew of the Rossiya-1 TV channel, simply putting it out the door. After that, Seppelt even had to explain, in particular, to convince the public that he had no bias towards Russia, as he had already conducted similar investigations against athletes in Jamaica, Kenya, Great Britain, Germany, China and Spain.
Since 2016, Olga Skobeeva in the program "60 minutes" continued her career. Experts note that she has a very non-standard way of conveying information to the viewer. In particular, she always reports the news in a harsh and strict manner, even with a somewhat aggressive tone. This manner has already become a visiting card of a journalist, by which many recognize and distinguish her.
Married couple
Despite different surnames, the leading programs of "60 minutes" are husband and wife. At the same time, for Popov, this marriage was already the second. His first wife was Anastasia Churkina, whom he met in New York when he was on a long business trip. Anastasia was the daughter of Vitaly Churkin, Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations. Young people met for a while, and then formalized their union. True, the marriage was very short-lived. Already in 2012, they broke up, having issued a divorce.
Popov returned to Moscow shortly after breaking up with Anastasia. There he met his second wife, Olga Skabeeva, a correspondent for the Russia-1 channel. Currently, the leading programs of "60 minutes" live in marriage, raise their son Zakhar, who was born in 2014.
It is noteworthy that although both spouses are public people, little is known about their personal life. For example, not a single message about their wedding appeared in the press, so the public still did not know where, when and how the wedding ceremony took place. Spouses never devote others to the details of their family relationships, they don’t tell whether they still plan to have children, they don’t post photos of their son Zakhar on social networks.
Journalists lead a life quite hidden for public people, which forces representatives of publications specializing in biographies of popular people to assume that if Popov and Skabeeva would not have a joint socio-political talk show, perhaps their marriage and relationship would not have happened would know nothing.
Program reviews
Reviews on the transfer of "60 minutes" are quite controversial. Many viewers say that they are pleased to observe the work of a married couple in the frame. It can be seen that the TV hosts feel each other, are on the same wavelength, do not interrupt, are always ready to continue to develop the thought of their co-host and interlocutor. At the same time, fans have long paid attention to the amazing fact that husband and wife try not to look into each other's eyes, which seems surprising to many. Colleagues suggest that this can be done so as not to embarrass viewers with hints of their relationship.
Also, many viewers emphasize the competence of the invited guests, the high professionalism of journalists, emphasizing that this is just the case when nepotism is welcome. In reviews of the "60 minutes", viewers note that, of course, the format of such a project is not new, something similar is on every channel. At the same time, the facilitators manage to establish a real discussion with invited guests, discuss really important issues, providing different points of view on the current situation, different views on the same problem. Shouting each other down to a minimum, which can not be observed on most domestic television shows. At the same time, the presenters themselves have excellent knowledge of the material, have their own point of view, which they try not to impose on the other participants, which also confirms their high skill as journalists.
By the way, in addition to the insulting nickname that Olga was given by ill-wishers, she has a more complimentary one, which also confirms her proximity to the current state power. It sounds like the Kremlin’s Iron Voice.
Negative
At the same time, there are a lot of negative and sharply negative reviews about the "60 minutes" program. Especially sharp estimates are caused by Skabeeva, who is called the “girl-gopnik,” many viewers are annoyed by her narcissism, arrogance, ugly voice, which makes some people have headaches and nausea, as they themselves admit.
Because of this, demands are constantly appearing on social networks and on the Internet for removing “60 minutes” from the air with Popov and Skabeeva. Reviews, sometimes, are definitely indignant, in which the channel’s management does not even get tired of reminding that it is part of state television, which means it is paid by taxpayers. The pseudo-patriot and pseudo-journalist, as they call Skabeev, amazes many with the lack of minimal professionalism.
In the reviews about the "60 minutes" program, Olga is most criticized. In particular, her speech defects, slang words and parasitic words, which she constantly uses, are noted. At the same time, they emphasize that the journalist has no idea about intonation, the culture of speech, articulation.
The reviews of the leading "60 minutes" criticize their behavior. For example, Skabeyev is subjected to obstruction because she stands throughout the broadcast, holding her hands in her pockets and legs spread wide, noting that this pose is considered indecent, and also caricatured and simply cheeky. Moreover, she spends most of the broadcast with her back to the viewers, demonstrating her arrogance and disrespect for the assembled audience. Viewers are annoyed by her makeup, which they emphasize in reviews of the leading "60 minutes." In addition, the public does not like its appearance, for example, leggings or tight pants, in which it leads most of its broadcasts.
Theme of the show
In the reviews of “60 minutes” with Popov and Skabeeva, as the audience noted, most of the topics are absolutely identical. This is a moaning about the "rotting West", Ukraine, in some cases Syria.
In addition, the presenters repeatedly came across frank mistakes, which cannot be explained in any other way than by their own unprofessionalism. In reviews of the 60 Minutes show, they often recall the recent broadcast of October 2018, dedicated to the massacre of students and teachers at a college in Kerch. Then, during the broadcast, the program’s studio allegedly called an eyewitness to the tragic events Alina Kerova, who actually died during this tragedy. In reviews of the "60 minutes", viewers emphasize that everything was very clumsy furnished. For example, the television channel, which has great opportunities for organizing video communications with any country on the planet, could not provide a picture from Kerch. It is believed that the video in this case was intentionally not issued.
Commenting on what happened, Skabeeva wrote on her social networks that another girl introduced herself in the name of the deceased college student in Kerch, saying that she was an eyewitness to the tragedy. In her defense, the journalist noted that the caller was at school, so she was afraid to give her real name.
Many on the same day the lie on the air was exposed. In the reviews of “60 minutes” on “Russia-1”, the presenters still recall this situation. However, no official apology has yet been received from them.
In addition, both leading so far have developed a rather negative and even scandalous reputation. In the reviews about “60 minutes” on “Russia-1”, viewers are not tired of noting that Skabeev has long ceased to be sent on business trips, since no one wants to communicate with her, knowing that the journalist will distort the facts, will interpret everything that was it is said. At the same time, Olga still regularly tries to break through closed doors, exposing herself as a victim of Russia's enemies and a true fighter for justice.
The corresponding reputation is also with her husband Evgeny Popov. He was repeatedly exposed for documentary reports and films on high-profile political events that used frankly inaccurate or obviously fake information.
To the exit...
The program “60 minutes” on the channel “Russia” does not like the viewers and the fact that the presenters do not have an objective view of the problem, a neutral attitude to all invited guests. Especially when explicit opponents are invited to visit - representatives of Poland, the USA or Ukraine, who have a diametrically opposite point of view. Instead of organizing a really interesting and varied discussion, during which it would be possible to listen to different points of view, such an objectionable guest is attacked all at once, ridiculed, teased, actually do not give a say. Act in this situation, at least, ugly.
Moreover, in some resonant situations, the hosts allow themselves to simply expel unwanted guests during the broadcast. For example, Yevgeny Popov removed from the studio of the Ukrainian political scientist Maxim Yali during a discussion of the situation that occurred in the Kerch Strait. Yali, referring to the TV presenter Eugene, called him Athanasius, saying that, according to some reports, someone really calls him that. Popov immediately afterwards asked Yali to leave. The Ukrainian political scientist began to make excuses by the fact that Popov had previously called him Igor, but nevertheless the journalist insisted on his own, the broadcast was continued without the participation of a Ukrainian political scientist.
It is worth noting that this case is not the only one. Earlier, Olga Skabeeva also decided to take such an act, who kicked Nikita Isaev, director of the Institute of Actual Economics and Opposition Politics, from the studio when he made a statement comparing communism and fascism. In particular, Isaev approved the policy of the Ukrainian authorities, which equate fascism with communism. After this statement, the journalist not only kicked Isaev during the live broadcast, but also called him an idiot.
Scandalous situations constantly accompany the "60 minutes" program, largely providing it with an appropriate rating. For example, a member of the Federation Council, Franz Klintsevich, who at that time still held the post of deputy chairman of the defense and security committee, during one of the broadcasts entered into a fierce skirmish with the famous Ukrainian political scientist Alexander Okhrimenko. He is considered a clear supporter of Petro Poroshenko. Okhrimenko constantly interrupted Klintsevich, who persistently offered Ukraine to declare war on Russia so that it would then realize the full power of the Russian state. Leading Olga Skabeeva also entered into a skirmish, who announced that the Ukrainian admitted rude remarks to a member of the Federation Council and called for not to interfere with the opponent’s speech. As a result, the senator approached the political scientist and pulled his beard twice, and when he returned to his place, he announced that he could also probe the liver, if necessary. The TV presenter Skabeeva very unexpectedly reacted to this situation, accusing Ohrimenko of bad manners, and then immediately changed the topic of discussion.
The Ukrainian journalist Yanina Sokolovskaya, who began to pour threats against Russia, accusing her of joining the Crimea, took part in another scandalous broadcast. The arguments of Sokolovskaya were first abruptly interrupted by Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who began to explain in an intelligible form why his opponent was wrong, and Yevgeny Popov joined the politician. He stated that these considerations were completely groundless, which ultimately ended the debate that erupted.
Infotok
Interestingly, the presenters themselves insist that the format of their transmission can not be called talk shows. For their project, they came up with a definition of "infotok". This is a telecast in which information is communicated that reaches the audience with a conversation with experts. Moreover, they argue that such a format first appeared on domestic television when the news began to be discussed virtually from the wheels. The presenters do not like it if “60 minutes” is compared to a show. They are convinced that a live discussion of an acute and important issue cannot be called a show, and this is their main innovation.
According to the photo of the program "60 minutes" you can make a fairly complete impression of the style in which the studio of the program is decorated. Speaking about the main topics that come to the fore on most broadcasts, the presenters note problems one way or another connected with Ukraine, especially the war in the Donbass. In addition, for Yevgeny Popov, this is also a personal topic, since his parents were from Nikolaev and Ishmael, and this is not far from the territories where the Ukrainian conflict continues. Popov himself has been to Donbass several times, therefore, as he himself says, he has an excellent idea of the current situation in this region and how the locals live.