TNT-Blits is a private owned Murmansk-based TV-station. It was formerly known only as “Blits” before entering cooperation with with the national TV-station TNT, one of Russia’s top five television networks, known for entertainment, reality shows and comedy shows.
Marina Shuvalova never had any plans to go into the media business. After finishing studies in English, German, law and administration, she got a job in the Murmansk Shipping Company’s PR department. Her plan was to try to make herself a career in the company, but things turned out differently. “That’s life – anything can happen”, Marina says. “I got this position in Blitz and have not regretted my decision one single day”.
Marina was only 26 when she got the position as general director of the TV-station. “In the beginning it was very tough”, she says. It was hard to become boss for 50 people at such a young age, but now the team spirit is on top and the station is doing very well.
A recent survey showed that most viewers in Murmansk prefer TNT-Blits when it comes to regional news broadcasts, Marina says. The popular news web site B-port is TNT-Blits’ daughter company.
TNT-Blits’ audience is mainly young people between 14 and 44. This is the most active part of the population and also the part with most spending power, Marina says. “Our viewers are the ones who are still in the process of buying cars, apartments, furniture and so on, which makes us very attractive for advertisers”.
In addition to daily regional news, the station produces its own program for young people. The show is called “Fresh!” and focuses on young peoples’ lives – fashion, life style, Murmansk night life, sport and everything that concerns people in the target group.
What Marina likes best about her work in TNT-Blits is the variety. Every day is different from the other. Nothing at all like “Groundhog Day”, she laughs, referring to the comedy where Bill Murray plays a TV weatherman who finds himself in a time loop, repeating the same day again and again. “I like working with people. In this job I meet new people and learn new things every day. It’s surprising how fast these six years have gone”.
Marina’s dream is to lead a big media house with TV, radio, Internett and maybe a newspaper. There she would gather all the editors every morning and discuss interesting topics. But she is not very eager to discuss her plans for the future. Plans can always change, she says. She had never planned to enter media but ended up being the director of a successful TV-station.
