UDC

82-92+070

Authors

Tat’yana S. Rodionova
Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia; ul. Miklukho-Maklaya 10, korp. 2A, 117198, Moscow, Russian Federation;
e-mail: tavto2013@yandex.ru

Abstract

This article covers some regularities of the development of the local (including city) Russian prerevolutionary newspaper. Studying the factual material on this subject is important for providing better insights into the Russian media development. The research aimed to reveal the most popular groups of materials in the newspapers of Moscow (Kuryer), the Central region (Tambovskie Gubernskie Vedomosti), and the Volga region (Nizhegorodsky Listok). Despite certain typological differences in the above publications, new data on their structural and content features indicate a tendency towards unification of popular content blocks. The volume and general nature of such publications as local news, fiction, and official materials proved to be rather similar. Speaking about possible reasons behind this tendency, we should look at the social characteristics of the readership. The city audience increased in number both due to the in-migration of rural dwellers and better education of the lower and urban middle classes, while local intellectuals had always been active readers. Thus, there formed prerequisites for interaction between the cultural traditions of different social strata as well as a growing interest in the printed word. To study the aspects of the newspapers’ popularity, we should consider that, as noted by the contemporaries, Moscow newspapers had much in common with regional publications. These similarities can be explained by the content interests of readers and social peculiarities of the typical audience groups in Moscow, the Central region and the Volga region. Participation of Moscow journalists in regional newspapers and vice versa also contributed to the interaction between central and provincial press. Despite the differences between Moscow print media and regional press, city newspapers developed according to the general laws irrespective of the region.

Keywords

history of Russian journalism, metropolitan press, regional press, city newspaper, Kuryer, Russkoe Slovo, Nizhegorodsky Listok, Tambovskie Gubernskie Vedomosti

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