Changes in the media under Gorbachev: The case of television

Under Gorbachev the Soviet media have led the way in the process of mobilization. Television, in particular, has become the first truly national medium in Soviet history, reaching virtually all parts of the country and attracting an audience the size of which has never been approached before. Under Gorbachev, the presentation of Soviet television has changed considerably, and audience impact is likely to have changed in parallel although adequate measures of viewer reaction are not currently available. Spacebridges between the USSR and other countries have been a particularly notable innovation, although a controversial one to many Soviet commentators. Although it may have a long‐term homogenizing effect, the wider penetration of television into Soviet life may raise expectations in a manner that will present difficulties to the central leadership.