Television and Radio Broadcasting

The Soviet television (TV) broadcasting system was set up as a hierarchical network of major stations with studio facilities, smaller regional stations with some studio facilities, and an extensive network of large and small retransmitting stations. Programming for both radio and TV was the responsibility of the State Committee for TV and Radiobroadcasting—Gosteleradio. In developing the TV medium, the USSR started late compared to other countries but then rapidly expanded facilities and service, and by the time of its dissolution the Soviet Union was heavily blanketed with TV. By 1978 all central TV production was in color; in 1982,81 of the 117 stations with studio facilities worked in color; since the beginning of 1986 all TV broadcasting has been in color. TV programming provides some interesting variations on the theme of centralization/decentralization in handling information. The domestic base for producing TV-radio equipment is probably better than for telephone-type systems.