The local press as a source for research of Izhevsk television (1950-1980's)

The character of the periodical press used as a historical source is fundamentally different from other sources of information (archival materials, for example). Consideration must be given to the biased nature of the press, which requires critical reflection and comparison with other sources. However, the publications of periodical press have such distinct advantages as a specific creative principle, a variety of genres and topics covered. That’s why the periodical articles were chosen by the author as the primary source for study of the history of Izhevsk Television (ITV) in the 1950-1980-s. Often the articles about the Izhevsk television were written by the people working there: directors, editors, operators, and at first - even by the workers who took part in the opening of the television center. Of the utmost interest there are stories about the ITV experts, which in addition to a detailed description of the journalists’ creative development presented their opinions about the current state of the TV industry. They mentioned as some of the drawbacks of the television the monotony of TV genres, low technical quality of the shows, which was a serious omission considering the fact that the radio and the television were the faithful supporters of the party during the Soviet times. The special attention in the local newspapers and magazines was paid to the reviewing of plays, movies and feature stories made by the Izhevsk television studio. The author concludes that a variety of local publications devoted to the development of the regional television station shows the high level of interest of people to the advent of the television center.