“In fact, many news agencies formed their opinion of what was happening in Russia from broadcasts of the Moscow International Radio,” Alexander Sudnishnikov says. “Our correspondents reporting from the streets of Moscow provided our foreign listeners with authentic first-hand information. This was a difficult time, both for Russia as a whole and its foreign broadcasting service. Those years made it imperative to search for new forms of broadcasting and the whole structure of radio broadcasting was undergoing profound changes.” 

“A so-called “open microphone” was a characteristic feature of those years,” Alexander Sudnishnikov goes on to say. “Various services invited prominent cultural figures to carry word of truth to New Russia. Through cultural programs we tried to build bridges of confidence with our listeners, who were often distrustful of the reports coming from Moscow after hearing different interpretations of the developments elsewhere. That inspired Radio Moscow, which in 1994 changed its name for the Voice of Russia, into holding a number of cultural actions.”
 
A wide-ranging response came from the listeners on programs to mark Moscow’s 850th birthday. Those programs introduced the listeners to the history of Moscow, the great personalities of Russia whose lives were linked with Moscow and the city’s present. 

“Our broadcasting company initiated a quiz, in which other companies took part too, Alexander Sudnishnikov says. “We got hundreds of letters and because we worked in close cooperation with the City Government we managed to invite the winners of the quiz to visit us in the studios.” 

Another cultural action was devoted to the 200th birthday of Russia’s most beloved poet Alexander Pushkin, which was celebrated in 1999. The jubilee programs featured Pushkin’s lyrics in translation, excerpts from his prose and drama and romances to his verse.  The programs culminated in the quiz “Pushkin – the Sun of Russian Poetry”. 

The Voice of Russia’s Sociological Service keeps interesting facts of the listeners’ participation in the quizzes on Moscow’s 850th birthday and Pushkin.

“The quiz “Moscow is an Old City of Peace and Friendship” drew more than 11 thousand responses from listeners in 144 countries, including 45 countries in Europe, 39 in Africa, 23 in North and South America and 35 – in Asia,” Yevgenia Gorokhova, the VOR Sociological Service’s seniour editor says. “Most of the replies carried extensive knowledge of the details. Many responded by sending colourful albums with their own drawings of photos of Moscow.

In the quiz “Pushkin – the Sun of Russian Poetry” the participants demonstrated strong involvement in the Russian art and actually put every bit of their hearts into answering the questions. Each made the answer look artistic. The jury was immediately attracted by a collective reply that came from Peru. Students of the Maxim Gorky College in Lima, which specializes in Russian language and literature, sent their reply in the form of an album. Answers were provided with drawings and photos. College students from Warsaw sent an album too. What was special about the Pushkin quiz was that the participants included all ages and society groups – children, elderly people, farmers and research workers…”