Vladislav Listyev

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Vladislav Listyev
Владислав Листьев
Vagankovo Cemetery, Moscow
SpouseAlbina Nazimova

Vladislav (Vlad) Nikolayevich Listyev (Russian: Владисла́в Никола́евич Листьев; May 10, 1956 – March 1, 1995) was a Soviet, later Russian journalist and head of the ORT TV Channel (now government-owned Channel One).

Career

Listyev was arguably the most popular journalist and TV

Evgeny Dodolev.[3]

He was also the first host of

Wheel of Fortune), Ugadai melodiu ("Guess the melody", the Russian version of Name That Tune), Tema ("The Theme"), and Chas Pik ("The Rush Hour"). In 1995, Listyev moved from VID to ORT, where he was appointed director of the channel. One of Listyev's very first moves as director was to order a temporary stop to all advertising, in effect excluding all unauthorized middlemen out of the lucrative advertising business, and consolidating future ad sales in the hands of the channel.[3]

Death

Shortly after his appointment, on the evening of March 1, 1995, when returning from the live broadcast of his evening show Chas Pik, Listyev was shot dead[4] on the stairs of his apartment building. Valuables and a large sum in cash that Listyev had on him were left untouched, leading the investigators to conclude that the murder was either a political or business-related assassination. However, despite numerous claims made by investigators that the case was close to resolution, neither the gunmen, nor those who ordered the killing, were found.[5]

The killing caused an enormous public outcry—in an unprecedented move, ORT and several other Russian TV channels shut down for the whole day on March 2, displaying only a picture of Listyev and the words "Vladislav Listyev has been killed" (Russian: ВЛАДИСЛАВ ЛИСТЬЕВ УБИТ, romanized: VLADISLAV LIST'YEV UBIT).[6] Days later, the channel was reorganized and after a number of different incarnations, came back as the government-controlled Channel One that Russian viewers are now familiar with. Listyev's wake was visited by thousands of people, and President Boris Yeltsin went to the Studios of Channel One himself to deliver a highly emotional eulogy praising Listyev and mourning his death as a great loss for Russia.[7]

There has been much speculation as to the reasons behind Listyev's murder, and two possible causes have been isolated as the most likely: financial and political. When Listyev put the middlemen advertising agencies out of business, he deprived many corrupt businessmen of a source for enormous profits. From the political standpoint, Listyev enjoyed an enormous popularity rating among Russian citizens and could potentially influence the political mood of the whole country.[citation needed]

Paul Klebnikov's article "Godfather of the Kremlin?" in Forbes accused Boris Berezovsky of ordering the murder.[8] Berezovsky sued the magazine for libel in British court. Klebnikov expanded allegations in his book Godfather of the Kremlin: Boris Berezovsky and the looting of Russia. Forbes stated in court that it didn't have evidence of Berezovsky's complicity in Vlad Listyev's murder or any other murder.[8][9]

According to Yuri Felshtinsky and Vladimir Pribylovsky, top KGB officers Alexander Korzhakov and Alexander Komelkov may have plotted Listyev's murder at the hands of Solntsevskaya Bratva. The authors implied that the motive was to steal the TV advertisement revenue and sponsor Oleg Soskovets for Russia's presidency. The authors believed that Korzhakov also used the murder to blame Berezovsky and to prepare his arrest.[10]

See also

  • List of unsolved murders

References

  1. ^ Ibragimova, G. (March 1, 2020). ""Влад был лучом света". Как Листьев изменил телевидение и страну" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  2. ^ Clines, Francis X. (January 12, 1991). "Soviet Press Curbs Hint at a Retreat". The New York Times. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  3. ^ a b Владислав Листьев: ведущий, продюсер, человек
  4. ^ Spinella, Peter (March 1, 2015). "20 Years After Murder of Russian TV Boss Listyev, 'Case Still Not Closed'". The Moscow Times. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  5. ^ ""Надежда умирает последней": кто желал смерти Листьеву" ['Hope springs eternal': Who Wanted Vladislav Listyev Dead]. Gazeta. March 1, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  6. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Памяти Владислава Листьева. "Виват король (2 марта 1995, оригинал)". YouTube. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  7. ^ Petrovskaya, I. (February 27, 2020). "Влад Листьев. Новый взгляд" [Vlad Listyev: New Look] (in Russian). Novaya Gazeta. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Klebnikov, Paul (December 30, 1996). "Godfather of the Kremlin?". Forbes.
  9. ^ Caputo, Michael R. (July 13, 2004). "Same Old Ruthless Russia". The Washington Post. p. A15. Retrieved May 31, 2007.
  10. ^ Felshtinsky & Pribylovsky 2010, Chapter 1 Заговор Коржакова, section Четвёртый компонент – деньги

Bibliography

External links

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