RT UK is a Britishfree-to-airtelevision news channel, part of the RT network, a Russian state-controlled international television network. The channel's studios are located in Millbank Tower. The channel offers four hours of its own programming per day, Monday to Friday UK News at 7 pm, 8 pm, 9 pm and 10 pm. On Fridays there is no 10 pm UK News bulletin. The RT UK News anchor is Bill Dod. Like its counterpart in the United States, it simulcasts RT International at all other times. RT UK serves as the home and production base of RT's UK-based programmes. RT UK is the channel RT delivers to United Kingdom satellite providers. The channel is also available online through RT's website, along with RT International, RT Documentary and RT America.
Launch
The channel was launched on 30 October 2014. RT UK focuses on covering the United Kingdom. RT presenter Afshin Rattansi claims the channel's position is "to challenge dominant power structures in Britain by broadcasting live and original programming with a progressive UK focus", since it is "not subject to the metropolitan elite's London bias". Richard Sambrook, director of the Centre of Journalism at Cardiff University was quoted as saying "It's a surprising move to focus resources on the UK. It's not a commercial proposition, therefore the main purpose must be to gain influence. It's about soft power for the Kremlin". In a pre-launch statement, RT correspondent Polly Boiko said "So much is made of how RT is funded. It's been cast as the Big Bad Wolf of the news media landscape," and "I think many of us... see the launch of RT UK as an opportunity to shake off the accusations levelled at the channel".
Incidents
Relations with British regulators
Ahead of the launch of its UK-specific broadcasts, RT said that adverts promoting the channel had been rejected by ad agencies because they felt they would be illegal under UK laws on political advertising. The network posted versions of the adverts on billboards and its website with the word "redacted" on them in an alleged protest. The UK Advertising Standards Authority said it had not banned the ads or even received any complaint about them. The UK broadcast regulator Ofcom had repeatedly reprimanded the international version of RT for its failure to remain impartial. London-based RT International correspondent Sara Firth claims she had resigned the previous July after five years with the channel over its coverage of the MH17 disaster, though it later had been found out that she was due to leave the channel anyway after a job offer at Arise TV. Shortly after the RT UK operation was launched, Ofcom said sanctions would be imposed if further breaches of the broadcasting code occurred.
Threatened closure of banking facilities
In October 2016, RT published a letter sent to "Russia Today TV UK Ltd" by NatWest bank informing the company that it intended to cease the banking facilities provided to it by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, of which NatWest is a subsidiary. RT's editor in Moscow, Margarita Simonyan, tweeted in Russian: "They closed our accounts in Britain. All of them. 'Decision not to be discussed'. Long live freedom of speech!" and Russian MPs, the foreign ministry and human rights officials all condemned the move. The Russian embassy in London described the move as an "openly political decision", however the British government, which since the 2008 financial crisis has owned the majority of shares in the RBS group, denied being responsible for the bank's actions. NatWest subsequently said that it had written to one of RT's suppliers, not to the station itself, and that it would review the decision. RT itself said the company provides all RT services in the UK. The decision by NatWest/RBS to end banking services was reversed in late January 2017.
Responses to coverage
wrote in The Times in October 2016: "For purportedly expert analysis of world events, RT turns to an assortment of racists, neo-Nazis, UFO buffs, 9/11 conspiracy theorists and obscure fantasists. Admittedly it's also been commended for balance and fairness – by the British National Party." He continued: "This is not a normal news outlet but a conspiracy of fraudsters in the service of a murderous autocracy". In The Observer, Nick Cohen wrote in November 2015 that the channel "feeds the huge western audience that wants to believe that human rights are a sham and democracy a fix. Believe that and you will ask: what right have we to criticise Putin? At least he is honest in his way". Matt Turner, writing for The Independent, pointed to marginalised issues and groups, like the disabled and the largest prison strike in US history, to which he asserted RT gave substantial coverage, unlike media in the UK and USA. Turner, who has "appeared on Russia Today as a political commentator", commented that "our own media biases have handed RT a large and disillusioned western audience to entice. In a balanced media landscape, they wouldn't have had this advantage to begin with".
