Vladislav Listyev, a well-known Soviet and Russian journalist, was born on May 10, 1956 in a family of factory workers. From an early age, being a pupil of a boarding school at the Spartak sports society, he showed remarkable abilities in athletics and even became the champion of the USSR in the 1000 meters in his age category.
In 1977, after graduating from school and serving in the army, he entered the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University, although he did not think about a career in this area and continued to bet on sports. However, over time, he began to pay more attention to journalism and in 1982, having completed his studies as a literary consultant for television, he got a job at the USSR State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company.
As a result of a short internship at the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, Listyev received the post of editor of radio broadcasting to foreign countries of the Main Propaganda Editorial Board. Having established himself as a capable and talented person, in 1987 he switched to the Central Television of the USSR and became one of the first hosts of the new infotainment TV show «Vzglyad». In the same year, together with several colleagues, he founded the VID television company.
The company’s activity began in the 90s, when Listyev took the position of its general director. His first grandiose project was the capital show «Pole Chudes», he also became the first host of a new TV show. The TV show was an incredible success. Listyev’s next brainchild was the first talk show in the history of Russian television «Tema», the children’s television program «Zvyozdnyy Chas», the entertainment game «L-Club», the documentary program «Serebryanyy Shar» and other.
In January 1995, Vladislav Listyev took the position of general director in the newly formed ORT television company. In this post, he accepted a moratorium on advertising on the TV channel, which played a cruel joke on him. Unfortunately, on March 1, 1995, Listyev was shot dead in the entrance of his house.
Vladislav Listyev was and remains one of the most significant figures in the history of Russian television.
Photos taken from open sources.