News agencies in post-communist Russia: from state monopoly to state dominance

The transformation of Russian news agencies occurred within the general framework of perestroika and the ongoing economic, political and social turmoil of Russian society. This article focuses on the new competitive situation in the Russian news market, examines the origins of private news agencies and identifies the major changes in the position and functions of state-owned agencies. New relationships between news agencies as suppliers and the Russian media as consumers of political news are also examined. The article seeks to shape the importance of financial news for the modern Russian news agencies. These issues are discussed in terms of the economic and organizational problems inherent to the new Russian media scene.