National features of development of the social and political talk-show on the Russian TV

The article deals with implementation of the social and political talk-show on the Russian TV in post-Soviet period. The history and national specificity of this format are in the center of the author's attention. Using the examples of the popular Russian and American programs he shows direct dependence of the format on sociocultural characteristics of local media audience and its transformation under the influence of this factor. Besides the author raises the problems of Russian talk-shows that impede its development at the present time.