Dish Network

There are a lot of Russian immigrants living in my neighborhood, so I was not surprised to learn that my neighbor had the Russian package on his Dish Network system. I’m always interested in learning about other cultures, so I went over to Igor’s house the other day to watch Russian satellite TV. As it turns out, it’s not all that different from watching Spanish satellite TV. The channels on Dish Net work have a mixture of sports and “regular” programming. All the broadcasts are is Russian, so Igor had to explain things to me, but I learned a lot about the culture. Did you know that Russian people were really into extreme sports? It reminded me of watching those Japanese games shows where people do incredibly crazy things for money. I was also surprised at how female-friendly the programming was on Russian satellite TV. There’s a really popular talk show called “Women’s Way” where people discuss women’s issues. Russia has come a long way from the country I studied in elementary school. There are other talk shows as well. One is called “School of Gossip”, where they discuss what’s going on with celebrities. It’s like a Russian “Access Hollywood.” Another one’s called “Hero of the Day”, which is pretty inspiring. It’s like those episodes of Oprah where she rewards someone who’s done something great--only every episode is dedicated to a hero. There’s also lots of news programming on Russian satellite TV. I can only assume that Russians take current events much more seriously than Americans. I gather that people can keep up with not only national news but world news any minute of the day (like CNN or Fox News but without the shows that have too much “spin”). There are a lot of shows on Dish Network’s Russian channels about what’s going on in America. There are several shows that follow pop culture in the United States. Our celebrities (famous or infamous) are a popular topic on Russian satellite TV shows. Russia also has a growing number of talented movie scriptwriters, directors, and actors. Channels dedicated to Russian cinema show a variety of well-made, well-written, and well-acted flicks. They’re not all dark, like I would expect from Russian theatre. I guess I’ve read too much Chekov, Dostoyevsky, and Tolstoy. I don’t know that I’d recommend Russian satellite TV for all Americans. However, you can learn a lot about the country we once feared by checking out Russian programming on Dish Network. If you want a greater understanding, and have a translator handy, you should check it out for yourself.