MOSCOW, September 1. /TASS/. TASS news agency celebrates its 115th anniversary by expanding foreign correspondent network and launching new projects.

It was on September 1, 1904 that the St. Petersburg Telegraph Agency (SPTA), the first official news service in Russia, was launched. Over 115 years, the agency has gone through several transformations, changing its name along with them.

In July 1925, the agency was renamed as TASS, which was an abbreviation for the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union.

After the break-up of the USSR in 1991, the agency was renamed into ITAR-TASS. However, in 2014 the legendary name TASS was returned to agency, no longer as an abbreviation, but as a world-famous brand.

For a long time, TASS worked mainly for subscribers, supplying news to television channels and radio stations, newspapers, magazines in the country and abroad. In the digital age, the agency’s approach has changed. Today, TASS creates products for both professionals and wide audience.

On the eve of the anniversary, TASS Director General Sergei Mikhailov announced the launch of new projects, including animated news for children, new applications on the site, including special projects dedicated to the Year of the Theater, in 360-degree video format and a series of podcasts.

Expanding global network

Nevertheless, receiving and disseminating information is still the agency’s main function. According to Mikhailov, TASS plans to expand its network of correspondents abroad. Over the next two years, TASS will also expand the range of news broadcasts in foreign languages: news in Spanish, Arabic, French, Chinese and German will be gradually added to the existing English feed.

Currently, TASS can boast the largest correspondent network among Russian media: 63 bureaus operate in 60 countries. In South Africa, Australia, North Korea, Pakistan, Northern Macedonia, Colombia, Canada, the agency’s reporters are the only representatives of Russian media.