Soviets Take Radical TV Show Off the Air
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MOSCOW — The Soviet Union’s most popular and radical TV show, which changed a nation’s viewing habits with reports about the Afghan war and the KGB, has been taken off the air in the latest sign of a conservative crackdown.
With an audience of about 100 million on Friday nights, “Vzglyad,” or “Viewpoint,” was the symbol of glasnost that brought weekend parties to a standstill and forced Soviets to change travel plans. Three members of its cast were elected to the Russian Parliament.
But Thursday, Vzglyad’s co-founder, Alexander Lyubimov, who three weeks ago fell into disfavor for trying to interview Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze about his resignation, said the popular irreverent show may have reached its end. “Officially, it’s not a closing down, but we have been taken off the air for an indefinite period,” Lyubimov said.
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