Moscow, October 15 (RIA Novosti, David Burghardt) - She might have just hit 77, but she's stronger now than she has ever been, and she's not planning on slowing down.
In fact, she's had an influx of new blood and is looking forward to a long future.
Born on October 15, 1930, one of Russia's few English newspapers, the Moscow News, has seen a lot: from the Soviet Union to World War II, from the Cold War to the fall of the communist system, and is now enjoying life in today's Russia.
The weekly newspaper has survived over the years, practically unscathed, due to its ability to adapt and adjust to changing times and readers. Four years ago, the staff of Moscow News had a mere four employees. That's when Robert Bridge, an American from Pittsburgh, came on board. He is now the acting editor-in-chief of the weekly, which now has over 40 staff members, half of whom are expats.
"I was the only foreigner on the staff at that time," says Bridge, "and to make the newspaper look bigger, we all wrote with two or three pseudonyms to fill the 16-page weekly."
Now the weekly is a 32-page color newspaper, the only English language color newspaper in Russia, with 20 foreigners writing for it.
"All of the foreign staff have lived in Russia for a long time, and all of the Russians have lived in other countries, all have a global perspective, they're all young and intelligent, which makes for a nice international blend," Bridge proudly describes his staff. Bridge himself has lived in Russia for over 10 years with his Russian wife, whom he met in the U.S.
Though the newspaper has a circulation of 30,000, this figure is misleading because of its Internet version. "The Moscow News has the highest Internet subscription rate among all the English language newspapers in Russia, including the Moscow Times. We give overviews of events in Russia for Russians and expats alike, for businessmen, students, and tourists, so this gives us a lot to write about; whereas Moscow Times focuses mainly on expat businessman," says Bridge.
The weekly balances its issues with both positive and negative news, giving a more rational understanding of events in Russia. According to Bridge, the Moscow News does not avoid negative news, and is not censored for its content. "There are no standards of censorship and there is no Ministry of Censorship in Russia. No one has told me ‘no', and I actually have more freedom writing here than in the U.S.," he explains.
At present, the weekly is wedged nicely in the mass media market. The weekly's management is not planning on expanding its staff at the moment and has no "five-year plan." According to the management, there are plans to expand the Internet version of the Moscow News, and involve the readers in improving its content, especially with audio and video materials, to make it more interactive. One of Bridge's goals for the weekly newspaper is to make it a daily, though that would involve a more aggressive approach in pursuing more advertising. According to Bridge, the Moscow News is in a transitional period, "evolving for the better, progressing with no end and adapting to the reader. If you stop, you die."
When asked if newspapers were not a thing of the past, being replaced by Internet versions, Bridge answered: "I think it's special sitting in a café somewhere with a cup of coffee and reading a newspaper. It's a nice atmosphere. It's the same thing with a book. I feel more comfortable with a book in bed rather than lying in bed with my laptop."
