The Russians Are Coming

Some of the chilly old winds of the Cold War are beginning to blow between the United States and Russia.

To create communication and understanding, five of Russia’s most talented TV reporters hopped aboard the CyberCar – a 40-foot long bus with a Times Square video wall on the side.

From the hollowed hills of Kentucky to the horrors of Hurricane Katrina – from the beaches of Brooklyn to the bayous of Cajun country – the inquisitive Russians searched for the soul of America. Concurrently, they shared slices of Siberian and Post-Soviet life through reports they played on the TV wall to crowds of Americans who gathered around the bus, eager to exchange ideas and experiences.

DCTV Co-founder and 15-time Emmy® Award winner, Jon Alpert, who produced the tour, remarked: “This is how modern media can be a tool to build communication and understanding between cultures. We often learn about ourselves as a people by what we show to visitors. There are moments of astonishing revelation, in which what I think is the real heart and soul of America, is shared with our guests.”

It was hoped that The Russians Are Coming! would be the first of many collaborations between the American and Russian peoples. Millions of Russians have already viewed the reports that the Russian reporters made. But on April 18th, 2007 the Russian police raided the office of Internews Moscow and shut the organization down.

The free exchange and the free press this program celebrates, are under attack and could be eliminated.