Larry King sides with Russia Today

Well well.  Remember Larry King... the talk show host on CNN? Well after moderating a show for Russia Today last year, RT has agreed  to do air a regular talk show. Looks like RT's equivalent of BBC's Hard Talk. It is produced by Larry King's production company, which is already producing for streaming channels like Hulu. Wonder what the viewership will be?

RT will air the new show ‘Politics with Larry King’, produced by Ora.tv in June 2013 as well as ‘Larry King Now’, which was launched on Hulu and Ora.TV back in July 2012. The programmes will be recorded in RT America’s Washington, DC, studios and Ora TV’s studio in Los Angeles. RT America will be the exclusive US broadcaster for both programmes, which will continue to stream online at Hulu.com and Ora.tv and also be available online via rt.com. Free downloads of the program are encouraged - that's the way the Russian's work.

NASA - Needs to Liven Up

How do you share science with the public? NASA has done some interesting live events recently. And I would argue its release of photos is brilliant. But its storytelling sounds very old fashioned - like a VOA Science Show of the 1980's. It is a lesson from a faceless reporter. We get quotes from a scientist read to us. And what I missed was the follow-up video explaining there is no connection between this asteroid and whatever fell on Russia a few weeks back. And the scores? 0,5 million watch the NASA video. 31 million watch the unmoderated clip from Russia Today. NASA is missing a trick.

Quizzing Assad in the Palace

Russia Today (RT) is certainly improving its standard of journalism. It's going much faster than at CCTV in Beijing. The way that Sophie Shevardadze just interviewed Syrian president Assad was unthinkable just a few years ago on RT and the Voice of Russia. Of course there is a political agenda, but frankly I don't mind. The interview gave me a fascinating incite into the thought process in Damascus and Sophie drove the conversation well. And the clever use of Youtube and Vimeo means the material is out there much faster than just relying on satellite television. That's the mistake the BBC is making - their content is not embeddable. I'd like to see BBC's Hard Talk programme do something similar with Assad. But with the cutbacks it doesn't seem to have the bite it once had, though I enjoy the friendly but firm tone of Stephen Sackur. 

Not sure why they took the publicity shots in the garden. That makes the final interview look weaker, especially to RT's critics. The little chat in the garden looks contrived. Enjoyed the "making of" notes though.