Putin slams Russian TV for shoddy foreign shows

MOSCOW, May 30 (Reuters) President Vladimir Putin said today Russian television was polluting young peoples' minds with cheap imports and urged broadcasters to embrace wholesome home grown entertainment instead.

The criticism fits in with a drive by Putin, who has overseen a resurgence in Russia's confidence and power on the world stage, to promote patriotic values and Russian culture.

Railing against the bosses of national television stations who were among the officials attending a Kremlin meeting on culture, Putin said: ''They buy anything on the international market as long as it is cheap.'' ''For more than 15 years our youth have been living under the mass cultural influence of ersatz foreign substitutes,'' RIA news agency quoted Putin as saying.

''We must create the conditions so that the coming of age of the younger generation takes place in a wholesome atmosphere of home grown culture, so that young people are brought up with high artistic taste and standards of behaviour.'' Russian state or state-controlled television channels, which have the biggest audiences, carry a mixture of news, domestic crime serials, Soviet films, Hollywood blockbusters and reality shows.

Imported franchises on Russian television include ''Who wants to be a Millionaire?'', which originated in Britain, and French-owned gameshow ''Fort Boyard.'' Several soap operas are based on imported concepts adapted for the Russian audience.

Television executives are likely to take Putin's criticism to heart. National soccer league matches were moved to free-to-air channels after Putin said it was not fair that fans had to pay to watch them on satellite television.

Russian film making is also enjoying a renaissance, with the heirs of legendary Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein crafting films that are taking awards at international festivals. But output is still far below Soviet times, when state television spun optimistic proletarian values into almost every programme.

Since being elected president in March 2000, Putin has sought to bring cohesion and pride to Russian society after the chaos of the 1990s.

Keen to mark out his legacy before stepping down next year at the end of his second term, Putin said today he had made a priority of strengthening Russian cultural values.

''Such values... make up the foundation of state identity and are a base for the consolidation of society,'' Putin said.

REUTERS GL BD1959