Introduction

It is necessary to consider information needs of the modern person as need for messages of the certain maintenance and the form which are necessary for people for orientation in the surrounding reality, specifications of a the world-outlook, for a choice of a line of conduct and the decision of problem situations, for achievement of internal balance and coordination with the social environment. Without satisfaction of these needs purposeful reasonable activity of the person is impossible. Therefore a degree of development of information needs and their satisfactions are closely connected to social activity of the person. As the data of sociological researches show, information needs in groups of an audience with the maximum degree of social activity are most intensively advanced and realized: members of elective bodies, public organizations, non-staff authors of mass-media, etc. It once again confirms the importance of inclusion of information needs in the number of criteria of efficiency of mass media their role in satisfaction of the population.

Thus it is necessary to distinguish concepts information needs and thematic interests of an audience. Information needs are social by the nature and they are also caused first of all by the maintenance, the structure of daily activity of the individual, including his objective characteristics professional and public work.

Thematic interests are the subjective reflection and the expression of information needs. They depend on the maintenance of the offered information and from situational social-psychological factors (such, as popularity, topical character, prestigiousness of the certain themes, persons, the phenomena, etc.). Not all the information needs are realized by the subject and are expressed in his thematic interests and communication behaviour; some of them remain not realized and consequently non-realized for the lack of necessary data, insufficiency of sources of the information, backwardness of communicative skills, etc.

As well as any other needs, information raises the activity of people. If they are not satisfied with the messages transferred by mass-media the audience or searches for the necessary information in other channels, or suppresses need for such information, and, hence, the activity in this sphere. Therefore it is important to know, how the satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) of the certain information needs can affect character and efficiency of daily activity of people, on their activity in various spheres of a public life. In fact the influence of radio and TV on public consciousness is measured not by number (or even quality) of pictures and ability of these means to induce a person or a social group to join in activity of a society at various levels – from a direct, nearest environment before social movements of a world scale.

The general tendency, which accompanies distribution of the urbanized way of life and introduction of general secondary education to our country, is the increasing of a variety of information needs, and the reference of the increasing part of the population to various mass media. On the one hand, it creates preconditions for increasing of system effectiveness of mass communications, and on another hand, requirements to the maintenance and efficiency of transmitted messages raise.

1.  Stages of development of the Russian mass-media

1.1 Russian mass-media as the tool of democracy

Since the time of disintegration of the USSR in Russia people speak much about democracy in the country. But becoming of democracy in Russia experiences the complex period of formation. Perfection of methods of the state participation in economy, a guarantee of legitimate rights of subjects of managing, acceleration of social and spiritual development is necessary. It is especially actually because in new Russian statehood such democratic principles, as rights and personal freedoms, variety of patterns of ownership, division of authorities, the responsibility before people, multi-party system, a priority of the right and legality are incorporated. And one of three bases of functioning of the democratic state is independent mass media.

Initial Russian substantiations of necessity a free press amazingly resembled their American predecessors. It was considered, that the independent fourth authority will open and investigate potential abusing and «mistakes» of executive, legislative and judicial branches of authority. She should provide citizens with the full and objective information necessary for democratic self-management promote «clearing» of simple people from socialism, consolidate citizens of the country in support of the government during the time of the most difficult political and economic changes.

mass media authority intervention

The law «About mass media», signed by President Yeltsin in two days after formal disintegration of Soviet Union in December, 1991, represented the version of the certain ideal in mutual relations of the state and mass-media. The law proclaimed revolutionary positions for that period: freedom of the mass information (free search, reception, manufacture and distribution of mass-media, free establishment of mass-media, possession, using and the order them, etc.), Inadmissibility of censorship, inadmissibility of the requirement at registration of mass-media of other documents, except for specified in the Law, are proclaimed rights on reception of the information and wide enough rights of the journalist. At the same time the new law defined a zone of national interest in formation of public consciousness. ............