TV out in Moscow, due to fire in landmark tower.

August 28, 2000 2:04 AM

TV out in Moscow, due to fire in landmark tower. So, am I just too much of an old Cold Warrior, or is anyone else a bit twitchily nervous that after the TV press hammered Russian President Vladimir Putin over his handling of the Kursk disaster, now the TV just happens to be knocked out? Oh, and that Putin is saying how this incident shows that the whole economy needs more "security"? Hmm...
posted by aurelian (3 comments total)

Ostankino' doesn't power all of the tv. Some tv interuption happened, in the moscow area. Looking that the photos there, looks like the only thing that's on fire is the rotating 3-story restaurant. Or is it just above there? Anyway, the food there is quite nice, and you get a nice view from above. I recall they have these big, red, 'ultra-sonic' elevators that crush your ears? Yeah, didn't like them too much. Other than that...
posted by tiaka at 5:04 AM on August 28, 2000

From the article:

Three national television stations that use the tower as a relay station went off the air when the fire broke out.

Transmissions to provinces were resumed by satellite later, but most of Moscow's 10 million viewers who do not have cable television saw white snow on their screens on Monday.

By contrast, even during the turmoil of the 1991 and 1993 coups, television continued to broadcast.

So, yeah, national interruption appears to have been short (though still, it happened)... But Moscow interruption would appear to be indefinite.

posted by aurelian at 9:38 AM on August 28, 2000

I find the idea that this was Putin's work laughable. He wasn't shy about using the police (in bulletproof vests and ski masks) to virtually shut down a newspaper just a couple of months ago. And what about the radio and independent newspapers? And what about the damage this does to all the high-tech and communications businesses in Moscow? Putin may be ex-KGB, but he's no Communist.

I do find the possibility that this was some sort of sabotage credible.
posted by dhartung at 9:41 AM on August 29, 2000