YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, January 1. /TASS/. Channel One’s Vremya (or Time) newscast is a benchmark of providing reliable information, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, adding that despite his heavy schedule, he preferred to watch the program live. The head of state congratulated the team on the 50th anniversary of the newscast, wishing success to the team members.
Putin participated in the anniversary edition of Vremya, which turned 50 on January 1. "It is a big day not only for your team, Channel One and the Russian television, but also for the entire country," the president said. "The reason in that in these 50 years, Vremya has become the nation’s leading newscast," he added. Putin said that "people abroad have also been watching" this program "with interest and pleasure."
Putin pointed out that during those years, "a large number of wonderful and very talented people were trained" in the team. "We - me included - have always admired the brilliant Russian language, technicians have also been doing a great job," he said. The president said that Vremya was "a great school for TV workers" because "newscaster staff working on nearly all other channels started their careers at Vremya."
"In my view, the most important thing concerning this 50-year-long history, is that Vremya is not an ordinary newscast, but it has always been meeting the highest standard of reliability," Putin said. "In any field, particularly in the information field, the reliability standard is very important," he stressed.
The Russian president added that he always sought to watch Vremya live. "But my duties come first, I cannot push them aside. However, I try to build my schedule so that… I have a chance to watch it live. If it is impossible, I watch a recording," the president said.