Life.ru

2017: Closing of TV channel

In August, 2017 the Life TV channel placed the message about the termination of broadcasting and suggested the audience to watch news on the website and in social networks.

Earlier the first deputy director general of News Media holding, which part the TV channel Life, Anatoly is, Suleymanov reported to RIA Novosti that the Life media project within the development strategy about which spoke still a year ago will start in the nearest future reduction of news on-air broadcasting which will cause also reduction of the staff of employees.

2016: Transfer of TV channel in the status of addition to the website

In January, 2016 the CEO of News Media Aram Gabrelyanov told about start of the new website Life.ru. On the portal several sections: news, big articles about policy, economy and business, the secular direction and also virus materials (for example, news about cats).

"It will be the huge portal about life — if to take the western analogs, something the Buzzfeed type" — Gabrelyanov explained.

"A year ago we made the decision that we will be guided more by the Internet. In fact, earlier the main thing we had a TV set — LifeNews. Now Life.ru will be the main thing, and the TV channel will be kind of the annex to it" — the head of holding explains the future changes.

It was planned that in addition to an editorial matter of the new portal into Life.ru it will be integrated content of LifeNews (the TV channel entering into News Media) and Super.ru (the website with secular news and rumors). The website Life.ru will also have 15 regional versions — they will be created based on the existing offices of holding which now generally work with Izvestia and LifeNews. The St. Petersburg version will be created based on the website Life78.ru. Some of the first will start the websites in Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk.

The new website will not demand big investments or new personnel injections, Gabrelyanov assures: for creation of the platform resources in holding will be redistributed. Will pass a part of people from Izvestia to Life.ru, with LifeNews and Super.ru.

2015

Failure from payments to informants

Imposed on the staff of News Media new job requirements. Now journalists of holding (including to employees of LifeNews) are forbidden to be represented by the staff of other organizations, to enter the financial relations with agents and newsmakers and also to use any means for obtaining information except the press card, Gazeta.ru writes.

The order became effective since September 11, 2015 and for its non-execution the management of holding threatens journalists with authority punishments up to dismissal.

The Chief Editor of LifeNews Anatoly Suleymanov confirmed the fact of innovations and called them "transition to civil journalism".

"With agents, is more correct with informants, we continue to work, but money for them will not be selected. We decided to transfer everything to the new scheme of so-called civil journalism — Anatoly Suleymanov reported. — One and a half years works for us the application through which people send video, a photo and information and receive for it money. This application was downloaded already by about half a million people. Now we will pay money to people who send us materials through the application. We do not work any more with a system at which we pay certain informants", - Suleymanov reported Gazeta.ru^[1].

Reduction of wage fund for 30%

In December, 2015 it became known that the holding in connection with crisis reduces wage fund by 30%. Heads of the divisions entering into holding had to decide — to reduce salaries or employees. ​

2014: Reduction of staff from 480 to 410 people

At the end of 2014 it became known of mass reductions in News Media holding. Reduction of the state concerned both the website LifeNews, and the TV channel of the same name. At the end of year about 20% of employees were laid off. As it was reported later in connection with expense optimization of LifeNews laid off employees — from 480 to 410 people.

2013: Start of LifeNews TV channel

The LifeNews TV channel was started based on the website of the same name in the fall of 2013, investments into its start were estimated at $20-30 million. Advertizing had to become one of the main sources of income.

The CEO of LifeNews and the younger son of Gabrelyanov Ashot Gabrelyanov directed start. In the interview to Lenta.ru dated for start he said that he wanted "create accurate association of the LifeNews brand with the most urgent news on the air". In spite of the fact that the channel was compared both to Russia-24, and to Rain, Ashot Gabrelyanov denied similarity between these channels, noting that these channels show a lot of the written blocks and transfers whereas LifeNews in a priority has an air and exclusive video. At start Gabrelyanov was guided by a brand of the British newsfeed SkyNews.

In two years LifeNews came out on top on quoting among the Russian TV channels (Russia-24 — on the second, and Rain — on the eighth). Its website is in the sixth place on quoting among the Russian internet mass-media (data Medialogiya for November, 2015). The average daily scope of LifeNews TV channel in the fourth quarter made 2015 2.4 million people (for the same period in 2014 – 1.7 million people). For comparison, the average daily scope of Russia-24 for the same period made 12.6 million people, and Rain — 200 thousand people (data "TNS Russia" on the Russian cities with the population it is more than 100 thousand, age 4+).

According to data of LiveInternet, the average daily audience of Lifenews.ru in December, 2015 made 866 thousand unique visitors. In September of the 2013th, before start of the channel, the average daily audience of the website made about 300 thousand visitors.

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