At the beginning of 2017, attacks by angry citizens on New Year's TV programs caused a lot of noise. Some particularly sensitive Russians experienced real culture shock from what was happening on the screen. However, nothing new: in fact, nothing much has changed on New Year’s television programs for many years, except that the bar is falling lower and lower, and the stars, which have become rather faded over the years of their tireless career, are becoming more and more frayed. Before the canons of the thrash genre, it seems "Pink flamingos" Our New Year's lights haven't arrived yet, but they've come close.

Some, however, did not silently endure such slaps in the face of public taste and loudly declared their indignation. Thus, a resident of Rostov-on-Don, Vadim Manukyan, compiled a full-fledged petition addressed to the general director of Channel One, Konstantin Ernst, demanding a more careful approach to filling the New Year's broadcast and conducting preliminary surveys of viewers to identify their true tastes.

« You have many interesting projects, but New Year's television needs to be radically changed! Channel One, please conduct a survey among your TV viewers on how to improve the 2018 New Year’s show.”

The petition really found a massive response among fellow citizens - at the moment it has already been signed by more than 160 thousand people. The well-known producer and musician Maxim Fadeev also supported the cry of indignation. He compared watching New Year's TV shows on Russian television to "plunging into hell":

It seems that, according to the management of Channel One and Channel Two, the world froze in 1993. An impossible repertoire, a popular picture, terrible jokes, and all together it’s just a plunge into hell! I was sincerely afraid to switch to Channel One or Channel Two, so as not to end up in the “past”, to a rural matinee based on requests from the 80s. How can television be reduced to such disgrace and such tastelessness? I'm shocked! As a child, I watched the same channels, and, apparently, none of the music players changed while I was growing up.

Konstantin Lvovich Ernst did not remain silent and finally responded to the numerous detractors of the morally outdated “lights”. He explained that the channel’s management will not change the format of New Year’s programs, and although the claims are justified, they are not logical - after all, those who criticize these same shows for bad taste don’t watch TV anyway:

“The complaints of the youth part of the audience about New Year’s shows are fair. Why are they usually ignored on television? Because, while doing audience research, we understand that the system viewers of New Year’s shows are people 45+.

The young audience that says, “This sucks, we won’t watch it,” doesn’t watch it.”

Konstantin Lvovich emphasized that those people who prefer to spend the New Year in front of the TV love the performers who perform there. And he added that from time to time they, of course, try to dilute the old guard with young faces, but they cannot afford radical experiments.

“I’m not a big fan of this New Year’s uniform either. But as soon as I allow myself, let’s make the New Year radical, fashionable and hyper-stylish, then we will definitely lose numbers compared to our neighbors.”

A lot of controversy has flared up around the New Year's Light program this year. Fans of the program wanted to see younger and more fashionable artists on air. As a result, the show's producers made concessions to the audience, inviting not only pop masters, but also popular new groups. In addition, Alla Pugacheva, who was accused of plagiarism, was at the epicenter of the scandal. On the night of January 1, the artist presented the composition “I Flew,” which caused a mixed reaction among her fans.

Maxim Fadeev decided to raise the question of the participants and the script for “New Year’s Light”. He published a post on Instagram in which he addressed his subscribers.

“Well, a year has already passed since the wave of public discontent with New Year’s “lights” arose. And throughout this year, television bosses promised us that in the coming year everything would change, and new programs would no longer be similar to what the channels produced before. I was just wondering if anything had really changed. Share your impressions,” Fadeev urged fans.

The composer's fans immediately began to talk about the changes that took place on the New Year's broadcast. In their opinion, the popular program remained almost the same, but viewers liked some of the numbers.

Alla Pugacheva suddenly joined the discussion. The prima donna left a controversial comment in which she called on Fadeev not to reason, but to act.

“Why are you still grumbling like an aging loser. Are you bored in Bali? Don’t “muddy up”, don’t talk, but go and change everything, make it cooler. Just promise. I’m telling you this out of love for you and your creativity. You are a genius. Mind your own business. You're doing great at this. Happy New Year! Pugacheva Alla,” the artist wrote.

Pugacheva’s violent reaction surprised many of Fadeev’s subscribers. In their opinion, the singer’s statement was tough but fair. “I support A.B. If Maxim doesn’t like something, he needs to make his own proposals, and not talk about something while sitting in another country,” “He didn’t seem to say anything bad about Blue Light. I don’t understand where this aggression comes from,” “But I really liked Alla’s number! The song just stuck in my head,” fans of the stars shared their opinion.

So far, Maxim Fadeev has not responded to the criticism addressed to him. Now the composer is abroad, where he is vacationing with his wife and son. The artists of his production center do not take part in “New Year’s Lights,” and the man himself does not appear on the air of this program. That is why his interest in the program caused considerable surprise among fans.

Alla Pugacheva chose to celebrate the New Year at her country estate in the company of relatives. Shortly after the chiming clock, Maxim Galkin posted a video in which he showed how his family celebrated the holiday. All the guests gathered in the living room at a large table and watched the premiere of the Diva's video. The composition “I Flew” itself has already become a hit and received a lot of positive ratings among the artist’s fans.

More and more people are discussing New Year's night television on blogs. Most bloggers really didn’t like it, and now everyone is swearing and blaming the television bosses for everything. But is it just the management alone? Why do you have to present almost the same set of films year after year? Why are television shows more vulgar and tasteless? And most importantly: if everything is so bad with TV, then what, exactly, should be done? It seems to me that it is almost impossible to understand what to do now. And not only because of the stinginess of bosses and the lack of talented directors and producers. The problem is deeper. The point is that for quite some time now we have not had an answer to the question: “What are we celebrating?”

Of course, it is clear that there is no need to so obviously spare money (and they clearly do). It is clear that programs and films should have been prepared as early as January 11, and not at the last moment. There are some tips and corrections. You can try to build an alternative NG broadcast on "Culture" (which is now Russia-K") - this year they were clearly greedy and made the program according to the residual principle. You can try to shift the emphasis from staging shows to filming "New Year's" films. Bikmambet's example, No matter how you feel about "The Irony of Fate - 2", it shows that you can ask someone to produce a film show. Although the risk is still big: a good movie costs a lot of money, and if it fails, it will be a hundred times more noticeable than the failure of another one. - the Olivier Show...

However, I am convinced that this is not about television as such. We are faced with a clear crisis of the New Year holiday itself. We must finally admit that with NG everything is clearly abnormal in Russia and figure out why.

I’ll write right away: I’m an Orthodox person, but I don’t strive to “bury” New Year’s Eve, which so many millions of people remember from childhood, love and want to celebrate. I feel sorry for all of us, believe me. But it’s not my fault, it’s not your fault, it’s not the fault of the television people that the holiday itself is “sick.” This is another “gift” for us from the times of the fight against the religious “dope.” We are now paying for that anti-religious campaign with what is essentially a good holiday.

After all, what is he? The Soviet compromise with Christmas, which people continued to celebrate in one way or another in the USSR, despite cancellations and even bans. Previously, in our country, as well as still in the West, it was Christmas that set the tone, was the main thought and sign of a series of holidays. New Year fit into a certain holiday cycle, and it was followed by another important event - the Baptism of the Lord. All our “New Year’s” hopes for miracles, changes, confidence in a good outcome of the most difficult problems are inspired by the Christian hope that before Christ comes into the world, time itself is no longer so powerful over us.

In the USSR, during the long struggle against religion, the authorities were forced to make a kind of compromise. Since people, longing for Christmas, continued to decorate Christmas trees (however, as people who know history tell me, Christmas trees began to be abolished back in 1916, as was the custom of the Germans, with whom we were at war at that moment on the fields of the First World War), they returned Christmas paraphernalia to circulation. . But the emphasis of the holiday was shifted to the New Year. Which (after the Bolshevik decree on the introduction of the Gregorian calendar) began to be celebrated a week earlier than Christmas, at the height of Orthodox Lent.

It turned out that the reformed holiday, on the one hand, was emphatically secular, and on the other hand, it made it possible to promote a new idea: instead of the coming of the Savior, it was proposed to celebrate the successes of the outgoing year in “socialist construction” and to welcome a new cycle of victories of the Soviet people, the next “step” on path to Communism. Ultimately, the secular nature of the holiday was established, and the ideological component - as disappointment in the communist idea - evaporated. and what began began...

A stalemate has created. On the night from December 31 to January 1, when the Orthodox remember the martyr Boniface, the deliverer from drunkenness, all non-church people (and even some church people, by inertia) sit in front of the TV and drink. Without understanding what is actually being celebrated, other than the next revolution of the Earth around the Sun, and why this is drunkenness and overeating. Almost no joy. Elements of joyful romance are preserved for children, whom adults could not completely separate from the purely Christmas elements of the holiday. Well, for the youth, who on this night seem to “break free” into a new, “adult” life. The rest would also like to rejoice - but about what, it is not clear.

So what should we do? There are two options, and they both still require connection to Christmas - either the Western or the Orthodox Church “scenario”.

We must either decide to return the Julian calendar, or “wring the hands” of the Church with the transition to a new style. BUT. In order to return to the old style, our current society is too secular and non-Orthodox. But the Church (not just the Patriarch or the Synod, but the WHOLE Church, the majority of believers) will not accept the change to a new style. By the way, an attempt at transition was made under Patriarch Tikhon, in the early 1920s, but it did not take root at all, and now they practically do not remember about it. Accordingly, hence the crisis. Because there is no meaning left in celebrating for other people - all that remains is the desire to enjoy the holiday. But there is less and less pleasure: we ourselves understand less and less how to get it, and we complain that others (TV people, filmmakers) do not know how to give us pleasure.

And what, exactly, can a television producer or film director get out of such a holiday situation today? - To be honest, I don’t know. There is nothing to “attach” to, there is no concept... Because NG itself in its current form is not clear to what to “attach” to.

The stars united against a blogger from Rostov-on-Don.

The petition of blogger from Rostov-on-Don Vadim Manukyan was signed by more than 116 thousand people. In an appeal to the management of Channel One, he asks to change the format of the New Year's show. But in this appeal, the public’s attention was naturally attracted, and the artists were offended by the phrase: “Believe me, few people liked being at the table “Visiting the Diva.”

The stars launched a flash mob in support of Alla Borisovna "myzapugacheva", fans prepared a response petition. And even Pugacheva herself spoke about this on her Instagram page: “Well, spiteful critics, are you excited? This is wonderful!!! So life goes on. And my strength is in the love and support of my fans. Convince yourself once again of this true happiness.”

The author of the petition, Vadim Manukyan (by the way, he previously worked as a leading specialist in the cultural department of the Rostov-on-Don mayor’s office) did not expect such a reaction and explained to the site website your position. He claims that he is not against respected stars, he just did not like the format of the New Year's light.

“I’m shocked, very surprised by the response to my appeal.” The petition is not about removing anyone from the air or banning them. Read carefully - I urge you to change the format of the New Year's light. In my opinion, people did not like the method of Alla Borisovna’s return to the air that was offered to her (the format of a feast with the hosts of Channel One and Philip Kirkorov).

— But judging by the ratings, it was New Year’s Eve on Channel One that most people watched. And those who don't like it can always change channels.

— This is not only my value judgment, but also that of many people, judging by the responses to the petition. But I don't want things to get blown out of proportion like that. And I don’t have the right to tell honored people, artists. I switched channels from Channel One to Russia, but my base channel on the night from the 31st to the 1st was the “Culture” channel.

— No one threatened you or asked you to remove the petition?

- No. But it is very unpleasant that the story turned out to be so twisted, as it happens in a distorting mirror. I beg you, before you sign anything in defense of anyone, at least open the source and make sure that you were absolutely in vain to defend the Diva so actively! The petition calls for the show's format to be changed in 2018 so that there will no longer be a feast like this, which has offended so many.

By the way, Vadim Manukyan’s idea of ​​drawing up a petition was born after he read producer Maxim Fadeev’s criticism of New Year’s television broadcasts on social networks. Vadim wrote to the producer about his idea to create a petition, and he supported him. This, as well as heated discussions on social networks, inspired the blogger to write an appeal to the management of Channel One.

Vadim Manukyan was provoked into drawing up a petition by Maxim Fadeev.

Petition by Vadim Manukyan (signed by 116,114 people)

- First channel! It seems to me that you need to urgently work on your mistakes, and, in my opinion, a lot of them have accumulated recently. Everyone has slowly gotten used to your “Let’s get married,” but when you launched this program in December instead of the Channel One Cup hockey match with the participation of the Russian national team and motivated this by the low ratings of the hockey battles, it seems to me that this was your strategic mistake!

And what happened on your New Year’s broadcast is simply beyond the bounds! Why did you highlight the New Year's broadcast of Channel One? Because, in my opinion, it has become significantly inferior in quality to its previous years. Believe me, few people liked being at the “Visiting the Diva” table. Read tens of thousands of comments under the petition and see for yourself!

You have many interesting projects, but New Year’s television needs to be radically changed!

Channel One, please conduct a survey among your TV viewers on how to improve the 2018 New Year's show.

Petition from fans of Alla Pugacheva (signed by 940 people)

— In connection with the active discussion of Channel One’s New Year’s programs in the media and criticism expressed in particular against Alla Borisovna Pugacheva’s participation in the holiday broadcast, we, the signatories below, ask you not to reduce Alla Borisovna’s presence on the air of the country’s leading federal channel.

With this petition, we do not want to enter into a debate “about tastes” with our opponents who have expressed criticism, but we consider it necessary to draw your attention to the fact that there is a large group of people who are always happy to see Alla Borisovna appear in the programs of your channel, including New Year's Eve

Alla Pugacheva is the brightest personality of our time, a singer beloved by millions of people, her work has already become a national treasure of the country. To this day, leading print media regularly put news related to Alla Borisovna on the front page, messages in electronic media invariably reach the top, in all social networks the number of communities dedicated to the life and work of Alla Borisovna is increasing, which is an unconditional confirmation of the audience’s interest in the singer, against the background These demands in the spirit of “remove from the air” look simply ridiculous taste.

We consider the criticism against Alla Borisovna to be unfounded and hope to continue to regularly see our favorite singer on Channel One, including on New Year’s Eve.