“Galkin had luxurious conditions”: the legendary Angela Khachaturyan spoke about the revival of the most popular show on TV

— Angela, why did you leave the air so abruptly at one time? No one has been able to beat your rating for 12 years…

— We were really cool: over 12 years, 208 original programs, 60 minutes each. When the communists were replaced by democrats, our situation only improved. Because the Democrats understood: the people needed to be given “candy.” Show that the coming capitalism provides equal chances for everyone. Therefore, in addition to “50×50”, we have a television competition “Crystal Slipper”. The competitors are talented children from orphanages, boarding schools, large and single-parent families, children whose parents died in the line of duty… Our artists dressed them, put on shoes, painted them and taught them how to move correctly on stage. Composers Nikolaev, Ukupnik, Chaika, poetess Larisa Rubalskaya wrote hits for them for free. Loza himself wrote phonograms for them in his studio. Sasha Kalyanov, who stands behind the console only for megastars, unconditionally went with us to all sorts of competitions and personally stood behind the console so that our children could sound. The program’s ratings were growing. The country believed: children have a chance. The winners’ reward is free education at a music school. They all took place in life.

To be fair, it must be said that thanks to the TVC channel, which hosted Yura Nikolaev’s “Morning Star,” talented Russian children from the periphery could continue to dream of the big stage for another two years (!). By the way, it was then that many artists began to have problems with alcohol.

— Well, artists have probably had problems with alcohol before. The same Zhenya Belousov…

– What are you talking about! He didn’t drink at all! Many artists started drinking precisely when they realized that everything around them was collapsing. A disaster has occurred. Producers stopped being paid for producing television programs. I have a letter signed by the first deputy general director of ORT, Kirill Ignatiev, who came with Berezovsky’s team to create “public television” for the people. So, in this letter it was written in black and white that “the television show “50×50” cannot be aired under the previously signed financial conditions.” Those who refused were closed.

— What is the situation on TV today?

– Now, thank God, producers are paid for production again. However, the prices at which TV programs are produced are currently too high. Take, for example, Galkin (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation. – Auto.). If, as experts say, he was really paid 25 million for four broadcasts and rehearsals, then this is incredibly expensive. It’s not worth that kind of money. Announce an open tender and you will see that I am right. Better and cheaper artists will come.

— How much does our television depend on the West?

— Most of the music and entertainment content of national Russian television channels, produced with the money of Russian taxpayers, are foreign, expensive franchises: “Come on, let’s all get together!” is a franchise of the English All Together Now, “The Voice” is a franchise of The Voice of Holland, created by Dutch producer John de Mol. “Star Factory” is a licensed copy of the Fame Academy TV show, launched worldwide by the Dutch company Endemol. This reality show is now being launched again on TNT. Thanks to the Western franchise, national channels mostly play songs in English. For which, by law, “royalties” must be paid to foreign authors. True, for the sake of fairness, I note that Soviet songs found a place in the “Guess the Melody” program that returned to Channel One.

– Why Galkin (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation. -​ Ed.) did they pay so much for filming?

— One of the reasons, I think, is the influence of Pugacheva. She could say: “If Galkin is on the air, I will come too.” It is no coincidence that the second season of the musical show “Two Stars”, the famous French franchise Just the Two of Us (English), on Channel One was hosted by Pugacheva and Galkin. At one time, she said this to our directors: “Chelobanov will be in “Fifty Konstantin” – I will come.” To which I answered her: “If he agrees to participate in the competition for young performers on an equal basis with everyone else, then please. And then, as the country votes, so it will be. I don’t promise him victory.” Always sensitive to the situation on the market, Pugacheva agreed. She collaborated with the TV show “50×50” for quite a long time – she sang and even, as a co-host, held the final with Minaev and Veselkin at the Big Sports Arena in Luzhniki.

— It turns out that Galkin had everything in Russia?

“He had excellent conditions for creativity here. Now what kind of creativity? Let him try to work there – there is a war in Israel. A striking example of how hard it is for them there are the posters of our “stars” hung in… Brighton in English (!). I laughed until I hiccupped when they sent them to me. But concerts of our irreplaceables are canceled even in the most unfriendly country to Russia… the USA.

— Why, when talking about our domestic show business, do you always use the phrase “so-called”?

— The level of our show business was first shown by Covid: the first who rushed to knock on the thresholds of the bosses’ offices, seeking material support from the state, were our “superstars”! And they were able to see the overall picture of the decomposition thanks to the SVO. They, favored by the state, living significantly above the level of the average Muscovite, calmly dispersed when their Fatherland urgently needed their support. Now these people without clan and tribe are going back. With their talent, they couldn’t earn themselves and their children enough to buy the usual “sandwich with black caviar” outside of Russia. Note that in two years, none of the kings of Russian show business, none of those who are already rushing back, have launched or implemented a single creative project THERE. They, who speak and sing English fluently, were not offered money even close to their fabulous Russian fees.

So what kind of show business in Russia can we talk about seriously? Don’t tell my slippers, as the Koreans say, they have really created a powerful music industry, the stars of which are invited to their holidays by English kings.

— Many people propose reintroducing artistic councils…

— The artistic councils will not solve anything. I think it is the Ministry of Digital Development that should take control of music policy on all media resources in the country, regardless of who owns them. But the prerogative to determine the principles of broadcasting policy should return and remain with the state.

— How would you, if you were the state, solve the problem that has arisen? By first education you are a lawyer, after GITIS you defended your dissertation on the topic “Show business as a phenomenon of social life.”

— Instead of artistic councils under the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia with the participation of the Ministry of Culture, in my opinion, it would be more correct to create a state commission on ethics and repertoire policy, endowed with broad powers. The first thing I would recommend doing is introducing a “quota system,” primarily for broadcasting content in a foreign language. Maybe then Russian performers will stop singing in English, and channels will stop paying “royalties” to Western authors. I would introduce a mandatory quota for children’s music broadcasting and folk music (in modern adaptation).

In addition to quotas, it is reasonable to launch all competitive projects “looking for talent” on federal television channels only on the basis of a “national passport” issued by the state commission on repertoire policy and ethics.

In general, I would recommend that the state hold open creative tenders for the production of all mass media music projects on federal channels. It is the state commission, and not the broadcasting channels, that should openly announce tenders among producers for the production of top musical projects of national importance: New Year’s lights, holiday broadcasts, competitions and festivals.

Thus, the main engine of its development will return to art – the principle of an equal chance for success in life and the realization of their abilities for the gifted creative youth of Russia. Then healthy competition between production centers will return. Prices for production will collapse, as will the fabulous fees of presenters and other media personalities working on air. It’s not even funny anymore. Unfriendly countries showed us real market prices using the example of immigrant artists…

— Now it will be difficult for even such a top legendary program to return: all the niches are divided.

“It’s always difficult to come back.” Legends returned out of place often turn into useless myths. Therefore, before returning, we thoroughly studied the current state of the so-called Russian show business. A system for generating playlists on digital platforms. Focus groups among different age categories of listeners in different cities of Russia helped us come up with a completely different on-air voting system and develop a unique broadcasting network.