Russian state broadcaster buys its way onto American airwaves
Global News
Despite sanctions amid the war in Ukraine, WZHF is one of two U.S. stations carrying Radio Sputnik, produced by Russia’s state-run media company from studios near the White House.
At the start of every hour, Washington, D.C. radio station WZHF plays an unusual message: “This radio programming is distributed by RM Broadcasting on behalf of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, Moscow, Russia.”
That’s how listeners know they’re tuned in to programs produced by the Russian government.
WZHF is one of two U.S. stations carrying Radio Sputnik, which is produced by Russia’s state-run media company from studios near the White House.
On the surface, Sputnik sounds like traditional talk radio. Observers, and the U.S. government, consider it Kremlin propaganda amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The views and topics range from explicit pro-Russia content to more innocuous attempts at undermining trust in western governments, media and institutions.
One recent segment on alleged Russian war crimes in Bucha, Ukraine portrayed Russia as the victim.
“This is the first time that it appears likely that it was the regime in Kyiv killing its own citizens who it views as traitors and then trying to present it as though it was some kind of atrocity by Russia,” explained a guest on a show called The Critical Hour.
Sputnik host Lee Stranahan, whose Twitter bio reads “I stand with Russia,” introduces his Washington-based show as broadcasting “live from the empire of lies.”