At the Washington radio station, that she emits a mournful song in the style of bluegrass, fiddle-fiddle recently died. Now, instead, in the broadcast other programs — Russian state media.
Now listeners can hear instead of the string at the frequency of 105.5 FM Sputnik — ground station, named in honor of Sputnik, which marked the beginning of the “space race”. This radio station funded by the Russian government, started broadcasting the first of July, sitting in a modest, unimposing offices three blocks from the White house next to the diner Chop’t on K Street.
Russia’s influence on American politics is discussed daily. Here’s how it sounds: “I’m sure you have heard a lot, — said the chief editor of the Washington Bureau of radio Sputnik, a native of Russia Mindia Gavasheli. — Now you can to listen to us”.
Gavasheli, showing visitors the Studio of the radio station this week, just at a time when close to the TV “cool” news about meeting Donald trump Jr. with a Russian lawyer, made it clear that Boris and Natasha’s in the building yet (hint for spies Boris and Natasha, heroes of the American Thriller Boris and Natasha, 1992 — approx. TRANS.). It does not even have the Russian flag.
Radio Sputnik, and the international news channel Russia Today, is a project of the Russian government. This station, which is in the USA until recently it was possible to listen only through the Internet and employing 40 staff, now carries out broadcasting in the DC area — its the only “land” area of presence in the United States.
“News Agency Sputnik points the way to a multipolar world,in which respect national interests, culture, history and traditions of each country — said on the website of the radio station. Agency is uniquely positioned as a provider of alternative news content”.
According to Gavasheli and leading, no curators of intelligence they have and no one tells them what to do.
Program on Sputnik in English, and some leading — familiar faces in the political landscape in Washington.
“If they are “masters” of propaganda, they do it badly,” says Sputnik radio host garland Nixon (Nixon Garland). He broadcasts this on the radio station of wpfw 89.3 FM, which positions itself as a station dedicated to the “jazz and the rule of law”.
Nixon, a former police officer of the Department of natural resources of Maryland, is co-host of the program Fault Lines, held in the form of cross-discussion, whose main theme is the policy of the United States. He calls himself a “staunch supporter Bernie” and does not make impression of a man waiting for orders from the Kremlin.
“At some point, if I have something to say, and they will have to fire me, they fire me,’ he says. The only thing I can do is speak about what I believe. Who’s attacking me — that’s their business”.
It seems that the orbit of the Washington Bureau of radio Sputnik of the President’s supporters trump a bit. Among the leading radio station — a former trade Union leader and politician of the left wing of the Democratic party, which is much more interested in that radio station Sputnik ruled “Corporation” than the fact that it is financed by Russia.
Parler Eugene (Eugene Puryear) in 2014, he unsuccessfully ran for the city Council of Washington as a member of the green party of Washington state. He is sending By Any Means Necessary, which, according to him, puts into the spotlight the views of young people and members of Black Lives Matter movement, activists who oppose violence against the black population. According to information posted on the website programs, a recent episode was devoted to the protests that took place during the summit of “Big twenty” in Hamburg. Also in the issue talked about “Amazon’s attempts to monopolize online shopping in America (Amazon founder Jeffrey Bezos owns the Washington Post).
“This is an extremely valuable opportunity, he said. All these publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post around the world do not give these views proper attention.””This is an extremely valuable opportunity, he said. Publications like New York Times and Washington Posts do not give them the opportunity to speak”.
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The most notable supporter of the trump edition of Sputnik is a former Breitbart reporter Lee Stranahan (Lee water taxi), who calls his mentor, the former head of Breitbart News, and now chief strategist trump Stephen Bannon. He, along with Nixon is sending Fault Lines, offering a conservative counterbalance to views.
“I like working at that station, where there is By Any Means Necessary, said Stranahan. — I think it’s great. What I don’t like is the tightly controlled corporate media.”
Many of the leading Sputnik, as supporters of trump, and no, skeptical about the claims about Russian interference in the presidential elections of 2016. The American intelligence in the administrations of Obama and trump said that Russia interfered in an attempt to achieve the election of a trump.
A colleague of Stranahan Nixon said “not yet seen evidence of” Russian intervention. For those who want to find the culprits in the defeat of the candidate from Democrats Hillari Clinton it is necessary to pay attention not on the Russian President Vladimir Putin and corruption in the Democratic party and pressure on voters, he said.
“We always feel uncomfortable without a bogey,’ said Nixon. — I am opposed to the generally accepted opinion that we should run around with burning hair and to fear Russia”.
Meanwhile, Stranahan said that he wanted to work in Sputnik, as many Americans mistakenly believe that Russia is the enemy.
“I think these stories about Russia sucks, and so I’m going to work on Russian, — he said. — If I really believed that the Russians intervene, I would not be here working.”
Gavasheli previously worked in Russia Today, said that the Studio Sputnik in Washington — one of many, and that its bureaus scattered worldwide, although in the US there is only one station. He noted that other countries also Fund international journalism, say, BBC.
It’s hard to be a good spy if nobody talked about the fact that you’re a spy.
“If we were a tool in a campaign of misinformation, I wish it were already known,” said Gavasheli.
But whatever the subtleties of geopolitics, Sputnik took the frequency of 105.5, and fans of bluegrass music for the first time in half a century are not able to listen to their favorite music in the Washington ether (but this station is still running online and on 88.5 FM).
Radio station WAMU 88.5 FM announced last summer about selling their programs “bluegrass” and “country”, citing the changing demographic conditions and the growing interest of listeners to news broadcasts. Station this year signed an agreement with a nonprofit organization, through which the transmission of the bluegrass has managed to maintain in the district of Columbia on the wave 105.5. However, this agreement was short-lived.
“The owner of the transmitter is clearly got a better offer from Putin than from a public radio station, wrote in an email to the President of the Union of bluegrass in DC and Board member of the Fund bluegrass-country Randy Barrett (Marty Barrett). — This is an amazing story, because Vlad kicked the all-American bluegrass music from the heart of the capital of the USA”.
According to John of Garzilli (John Garziglia), which is the co-owner of Reston Translator, which belongs to the frequency 105.5, they handed over the frequency rental of radio Sputnik to the end of 2019, when it became clear that the bluegrass station is no longer able to pay the bills. Garzella noted that this transaction has nothing to do with politics and that it is “a purely commercial agreement.”
“Let the listeners draw their own conclusions about what is Sputnik, he said. — I think they are very Frank and direct”.
