''The Naked Truth'' (russian: Голая правда, Golaya pravda) was a television program hosted by
Svetlana Pesotskaya on
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
's television channel.
The format was a ten-minute news bulletin, followed by a weather report.
After
Communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...
, Russian television channels struggled to gain viewers because of low budgets and lack of programming. To attract viewers, the M1 channel began experimenting in November 1999 with having Pesotskaya strip while delivering the news. The concept was developed by M1 producer Sergei Moskvin, who stated that the show began life as a "one-off joke - a light-hearted send-up of Russian current affairs."
Pesotskaya took off her clothes on camera daily with a
pair of hands, strategically placed as the only thing covering her breasts.
''Golaya Pravda'' also featured a weather presenter/
ecdysiast
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "exot ...
and other reporters who bared their breasts completely.
The show featured interviews with members of the
State Duma, who were "vying to appear on the show", speaking to topless political
correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...
s.
The program was broadcast from premises on Pravda Street in Moscow, on the same street as the main building of the ''
Pravda
''Pravda'' ( rus, Правда, p=ˈpravdə, a=Ru-правда.ogg, "Truth") is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most influential papers in the ...
'' newspaper, the official newspaper of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and in the building formerly housing ''Pravda''s health and recreation building.
Moskvin considered that besides the
titillation value, the
dissonance of watching a woman undress and hearing serious news appealed to the Russians' sense of the absurd, developed living under Communism.
Pesotskaya stated that "The idea of The Naked Truth was born during the last parliamentary elections, which were a real circus, a real striptease show."
''The Naked Truth'' became M1's flagship show, at a time when the station was Moscow's fastest-growing television channel, and was nominated for a television award for humour.
Daya Kishan Thussu in his work ''News as Entertainment: The Rise of Global Infotainment'', considered that ''The Naked Truth''s success stemmed from the Russian media's new focus on the entertainment genre, with journalists adopting the role of entertainer.
Pesotskaya argued that "almost every other Russian newscast was just copied from Western television. We were the first to introduce a non-standard approach to the news. In the other shows, the news readers are too serious."
The owners of М1 stated that they had sold broadcasting rights to the idea in Britain and France.
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
considered the program an example of Russia as a "country of bizarre television".
See also
*
Naked News
''Naked News'' is a Canadian news and entertainment program owned by Naked Broadcasting Network. It features nude female news presenters reading news bulletins derived from news wires. The show's production studio is located in Toronto. There a ...
References
Russian television shows
Russian television news shows
1999 Russian television series debuts
Nudity in television
Television news program articles using incorrect naming style
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