On Friday, May 13, RBC reported that the holding led actually all top managers responsible for the editorial policy. "Lenta.ru" understands what happens in one of the largest media hydring countries and that preceded the treatment of editorial leadership.
What's happening
Holding officially announced that the chief editor of the projects of Elizaveta Ossetian, the chief editor of the information agency Roman Badanin and the Glavred newspaper of the newspaper Maxim Solus leaving RBC.
The CEO of Holding Nikolai Molybogus explained this by the fact that the opinion of the editorial chiefs about the future of RBC did not coincide with the position of their leaders. "IN lately We talked a lot about how to further develop RBC, and in these conversations were unable to come to a single opinion in terms of important issues, "he officially said. Therefore, agreed to part.
Who will come to their place - not yet reported. Following the departure of the tops about the intention to quit in social networks, some employees of the United Nations RBC reported.
After the announcement of the top management of the RBC shares on the stock exchange.
What was before
In April, it became known that from the fall of 2016 Elizaveta Ossetian will depart from affairs at the time of study at Stanford University under the program "Innovation in journalism". It was assumed that the training would last one academic year, after which the chief editor will continue to lead the editors of RBC projects.
However, later, on April 20, Media Holding reported that Ossetian would depart from management a few months before his academic leave - after the May holidays. Representatives of the holding argued that her absence would be temporary. It was reported that the management of editorial projects in its absence will be carried out by major editors, including Badanin and Solus.
Like Ossetian vacation tied with searches from Mikhail Prokhorov
The official news about the premature leave of the top manager appeared almost simultaneously with searches in the ONEXIM group - a structure that controls RBC and other companies Mikhail Prokhorov. At the same time, the inspectors did not come to RBC himself, said the representative of the media holding "Lente.ru".
The media wrote that searches in Onexim could have a political subtext: the authorities allegedly try to prescribe to Prokhorov so that he sold RBC. According to another version, the billionaire is trying to make the energy company "Quadra". Shortly before the arrival in the "ONEXIM" law enforcement agencies on TV was shown the plot of violations in the work of the quadries. Also, the media argued that RBC, publishing materials on Panaman offholsters and investigations affecting major businessmen and high-ranking officials, bypassing the energy company Prokhorov, which is also associated with offshore.
What they say in the Kremlin
A spokesman for Russian President Dmitry Peskov repeatedly refuted the media messages about the pressure of the Kremlin at Prokhorov because of the allegedly annoying authorities of RBC articles. The sands said that she was communicating with Ossetian, as with many other media leaders. Shortly before her departure, the spokesman for the head of state met with her, however, the leave of Ossetian, according to Peskov, they did not discuss.
Prokhorov sells or not selling RBC?
At the end of April, the media reported that after the searches of Prokhorov, seriously thought about selling and RBC, and Quadru. The fact that businessman from time to time is negotiating the sale of media holding, in essence, not news.
It is known that he is looking for a buyer at least from August 2014 (although representatives of the entrepreneur denied this information). "Kommersant" then wrote that the media platforms were needed to Prokhorov, when he was engaged in politics: he was the leader of the party "The right thing", participated in the presidential race, and then headed the "civil platform". But in 2014, the businessman moved away from the part of the party, and subsequently expressed her complete elimination.
Photo: Catherine Chesnikova / RIA Novosti
After unpromising attempts to make a career policy, the need of Prokhorov in media assets fell out, besides RBC worked exclusively to cover losses, and the shareholder had to invest considerable funds. At the moment, the holding of the holding is 220 million dollars. However, the billionaire liked what RBC journalists did.
How to try to change the holding
A little more than a year ago, RBC announced the "strategy 360", in which the holding should live on. The initiator and ideological inspirer of the document was Nikolai Molybogo. "The goal of RBC is to maintain the growth rates of revenue at a level not lower than the average market in the future. To achieve the right goal of RBC plans to combine organic growth and profitable acquisitions in the fastest growing mediagegment - the Internet. RBC sees its key operating purpose to ensure the high popularity of RBC resources among the Russian-speaking audience in the CIS countries and the world as a whole. The main task, from the point of view of financial management, is to increase business profitability, "the company says.
However, two years, during which molybogue was led by the company, RBC generated only losses: 1.97 billion rubles in 2014 and the same amount in 2015. Holding kept afloat thanks to the sale of assets: Sales House "Salon", RBC Money and Utro.ru payments system.
Photo: Sergey Kiselev / Kommersant
There were acquisitions. In 2014, the company for 19 million rubles (and 200 thousand euros to diversify revenue flows) bought an integrator public.ru. The project was instructed to oversee the Digital-Director of RBC Business Projects Dmitry Kharitonov. Subsequently, as the source says, all the actions on the project were frozen. The losses of alone by the UTRO.RU, sold in just 30 million rubles, amounted to at least 100 million rubles of revenues per year. At least this is exactly the amount of the publication brought in 2013, and its daily traffic reached 400-500 thousand visitors per day.
RBC is not the first ambitious, but not fair Prokhorov project. In 2014, an entrepreneur by the state for 1 euro, a project of innovative "E-Mobile", which had previously laid high hopes and in which invested 150 million euros.
Who sells if sells
The most likely buyer of media holding the sources of Gazeta.ru call the national media group Yuri Kovalchuk. IN different time The media argued that Arkady Rothenberg, Vladimir Lisin, Holding Gazprom-Media, co-owner, claim the RBC, and the owner of Komsomolskaya Pravda Grigori Berezkin.
Another version that refutes the previous assumptions
The top manager of large Russian media holdings told Lente.ru that RBC sales had already taken place. It happened before it became known about the academic leave of Ossetian. He, however, did not specify whether her decision was to escape independently or the new owner insisted on it.
Gregory Berezkin bought a controlling stake in RBC Media Holding from Mikhail Prokhorov, said the representative of the Union of Jun Berezkin. The transaction is closed, the structure of the ESN acquired 65% of the shares of the media holding, he clarified.
Financial parameters of the transaction The representative of Berezkin did not reveal.
RBC leads a statement of the general director of the Holding of Nicholas Molyboga: "Today we see the goal of RBC not only to strengthen the leading position of the holding, but also to accept the challenges facing the media and IT sectors in the era of the digital economy. We are confident that relations with the ESN group, built on mutual respect, will allow us to jointly realize these opportunities to fully. "
"In my opinion, RBC is now one of the leading media pallets in Russia, and we see the great potential for its development by different areas Business, "Berezkin's word cited.
Prokhorov owns the RBC control packet since July 2010, now the structures of its management company "ONEXIM" owns 61.6% of the shares of media holding. About 35% of the shares are traded on the Moscow Stock Exchange, the rest - in Minoritarians. At the end of May, the Federal Antimonopoly Service satisfied the petition of the Sotol Project JSC (this company is included in the Union Berezkin group) to acquire 65.4% of RBC shares.
RBC includes the television channel, news site, newspaper, magazine, as well as online edition "On high technologies" CNews. Also, the group has a business on Internet hosting and registration of domains, conferences and so on.
RBC revenue in 2016 increased by 9.7% to 5.6 billion rubles, EBITDA - by 16% to 556 million rubles. Most of the revenue of the Holding brings precisely media assets.
The cumulative audience of RBC projects - 25 million people per month, indicates a holding with reference to MediaScope. Of these, 17 million people are watching the RBC channel per month per month, 10 million people are reading the RBC website, 2 million people are reading the same name newspaper and magazine.
The fact that Berezkin fundamentally agreed to buy RBC, became known in mid-April. The businessman expected that the transaction would be signed before the May holidays, they talked to "Vedomosti" two of his acquaintances. But as a result, the signing was delayed.
By the end of April, the parties agreed on the financial parameters of the transaction, including the issue of debt, argue two interlocutors of "Vedomosti", close to both sides of the negotiations. The media holding is a big debt - at the end of 2016, he was 14.9 billion rubles. The lion's share of this amount is RBC's debt before "ONEXIM". The signing was delayed, as the parties were traded to the last on issues related to those who - the buyer or seller will, in particular, to bear financial responsibility, if Rosneft will still be able to sue RBC 3.2 billion rubles. For damage to business reputation. The court in April refused the oil company in compensation, but " Rosneft »Submitted a cassation complaint to this decision.
According to two sources of "statements", the new owner does not plan to change the holding team. Berezkin was still in April met with the general director of the holding Nikolai Molybogo and offered him to continue to lead RBC, knows a familiar businessman. The editorial team, which is governed by Elizabeth Golikov and Igor Canes, will also be offered to remain, two sources of "Vedomosti" are known to Berezkin. Molybogus, Golikov and Canes from comment refused.
Prokhorov forced to sell RBC, said the interlocutor of Vedomosti, close to "ONEXIM". Friendly Berezkin, on the contrary, I am sure that Nobody forces Nobody to sell RBC: the businessman himself understands how much this asset has become uncomfortable for him.
Businessman and first was ready to come out of the asset - last spring the leaders of several media boobs were told that they received proposals to buy RBC, but then, according to two interlocutors of Vedomosti, Prokhorov was intended to get good price"- at least $ 250 million. Already then, the organizer of the transaction was ready to perform VTB - the group sought up buyers, knows one of the interlocutors of the Vedomosti. But in April 2016, the FSB and FTS conducted searches and seizure of documents at the head office of the Prokhorov group "ONEXIM" and the companies controlled (but not in RBC) due to "with possible tax evasion". Sources close to Prokhorov related searches with the fact that officials are dissatisfied with the independence of the editorial policy of RBC publications and their investigations, including the family of Russian President Vladimir Putin.Rzh), controls the Rusenergoress (electricity supplier for Transneft). The businessman is interested in the media businessman - in 2007, Esn bought a control packet of the publishing house (ID) "Komsomolskaya Pravda". ID does not disclose the current structure of shareholders. The general director and co-owner of Komsomolskaya Pravda, Vladimir Sungorkin, said only that Berezkin is always a shareholder for him. " A year ago, the sources of the Vedomosti told that the main shareholder of the ID - the Baltic Media Group (belongs to the heirs of Oleg Rudnova), and Berezkin no longer controls this asset.
RBC Elizaveta Ossetian, chief editor of the RBC Site Roman Badanin and chief editor of the RBC newspaper Maxim Solus left the holding by the Agreement of the Parties, the company itself reported. The last working day of all three - Friday, May 13, the report says.
Irina Malkova will be temporarily to manage the united editor, now - Deputy Badanina. Formally, it will not be appointed to the position of Vrio Schif editor, clarified the general director of RBC Nikolai Molybogo. Malkova wrote on Facebook, which will soon leave RBC and "works tentatively until June 30." The editor-in-chief of the RBC magazine Valery Igumen also wrote on Facebook, which remains in his post in RBC "Briefly".
Later, Solus wrote to Facebook, which will not disclose the specific reasons for their care. But he is deeply convinced that his dismissal is connected with the editorial policy of RBC and so that due to this editorial policy, the owner of the holding Mikhail Prokhorov has problems. "This policy and, in particular, my stay as chief editor of the RBC newspaper reduces the chances of a prosperous outcome of the" dispute of economic entities "for the entire business of Prokhorov," Solus believes.
Changeover in editors RBC It was a decision of the management of the RBC Holding, confirmed Molybogus "Vedomosti". From any other comments on this issue he refused. "Recently, we have talked a lot about how to further develop RBC, and in these conversations were unable to come to a single opinion on part of important issues, therefore decided to part. I want to thank Elizavet, Roman and Maxim for work and for contributing to the development of the company, "the RBC official reports on his behalf.
According to the source of the "Vedomosti" in RBC, it was first decided to leave Solus, Ossetian and Badananin left solidarity with him. "On new personnel appointments in the structure of the RBC media projects will be announced later," the company said.
In addition, several editors of the holding leave, including Julia Yarosh and Peter Mironenko. Both reported in their Facebook. What works in the company until June 30. "I stay for the transitional period for the transfer of affairs," Yarosh wrote. A similar message was made by the editor of the "Technology and Media" department of RBC Polina Russeyev-Tsybizova, Deputy Chief Editor of RBC magazine Alexey Applekov, Deputy Chief Editor for Special Projects Elena Manyzina and Special Core RBC Svetlana Reuters. The fact that they work in RBC until June 30 were announced by the head of the "banks and finance" Elena Tofanyuk and the deputy editor-in-chief of the RBC magazine Anfisa Voronin.
In April, it became known that Ossetian was leaving for study in the United States. At first she announced the team that he would cease to perform responsibilities from August, but in a week reported that this would happen in May. It was announced that the position would remain for her.
In mid-April, the police, the FSB and the FTS conducted searches and recess of documents at the head office of the Mikhail Prokhorov group "OnEksim" and the companies controlled (but not in RBC) due to "with possible tax evasion". Later, the representative of the FSB said that the searches were conducted in the framework of the criminal case on the bank "TAU", whose sanatorian - Bank IFC (47% - at Prokhorov). Why, within the framework of the "Tauridious" case, companies were searched, not related to the financial market, he did not explain.
The last few months the pressure on RBC intensified. As reported by "Vedomosti" sources in the holding, the staff of the Presidential and Government committee sought from the company's management and its shareholder Mikhail Prokhorov changing editorial policy. First of all, officials did not suit the investigations of RBC about people close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in particular about the estimated daughter of Putin, Catherine Tikhonova. Two interlocutors close to RBC, they say that the salty was sent to resign, as officials were accustomed to reading a paper newspaper, and not the RBC website, where the materials appeared initially.
Following the searches in several companies, Prokhorov, the police opened a criminal case on fraud associated with RBC. The case was headed at the end of April the main investigative department of the State Ministry of Internal Affairs in Moscow "On the fact of the embezzlement of 25% of the shares" of the Byte-Telecom Data Center, the former subsidiary of RBC. The allegedly stolen package belonged in equal shares Alexander Panov and Yaroslav Koretsky (the rest of the shares controlled RBC). In September 2014, Holding sold the "Byte Telecom" shares. Panov considers this sale fictitious, as a result of it, he assures, minority injuries lost shares.
Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov today declared that the departure of the RBC leadership is not related to the pressure of the authorities. The Kremlin, he said, did not know in advance about these resignations. At the end of April, the sands have already said that the authorities do not interfere with the media policy. "Such messages do not correspond to reality. The Kremlin never interferes with the editorial policy, the more not interfere with the property rights, "said the Kremlin representative.
OnEksim Mikhail Prokhorov Group sold Media Holding. The transaction is completed, the ESN group bought 65% of the shares and RBC's debt obligations at the ONEXIM group, noted in the press release of the ESN. The transaction consultant performed.
"RBC is now one of the leading media pallets in Russia, and we see the great potential for its development in different directions," commented the transaction Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Esn Grigory Berezkin.
The RBC media holding includes the television channel, news site, newspaper, magazine and Internet publication "On High Technologies". RBC also has a business on Internet hosting and domain registration, conferences. According to LiveInternet, the Monthly Holding Auditorium is 26 million users.
RBC sales are actively discussed from the spring of last year. As the source "Gazeta.Ru" told in the power circles, a photograph of Vladimir Putin aroused a negative reaction to an article about Panaman offshores published in the RBC newspaper. After the publication in April last year, and conducted searches and recession of documents at the head office of Onexim and the companies controlled in connection with it "with possible tax evasion". Then it became known that Mikhail Prokhorov sells its assets. As a result, a team of media managers was changed in the holding. To lead the publication to Igor Trosnikova and Elizabeth Golikov, who were deputy editor-in-chief, and before that they worked for many years.
In April of this year, it became aware of the resumption of negotiations on the sale of RBC. VC.RU website wrote that to sell Prokhorov Holding forced the "powerful pressure" from the deputy head, who allegedly found the "personal insult" of the RBC publication about protest rallies and a note about changing the agenda of federal TV channels.
On the eve of the transaction, even president was forced to justify. During the "straight line" on June 15, he stated that he did not discuss with Mikhail Prokhorov for the sale of RBC.
"I believe that such funds mass mediaLike RBC, you need, sometimes even, honestly, I look. And that package informational, which I see on the screens, in principle I consider it useful, I like it. But some pressure is in any case, I don't know anything about it, "said the president during a" straight line. "
The owner of the Esn Grigory Berezkin declared earlier that the potential acquisition of the ESN intends to finance the potential acquisition and will be represented in negotiations only its own interests.
The amount of the transaction the parties still do not reveal. The press release says that an agreement was reached between the seller and the buyer. Given that RBC is a public company with a capitalization of 2.7 billion rubles, 65.43% of the holding could be assessed in the amount of about 1.8 billion rubles. However, the company has large debts. The total debt is about $ 230 million, of which $ 200 million RBC owed Onexim. Debt score for a long time did not give the opportunity to the parties to agree on the amount of the transaction. In particular, the signing was delayed, since the parties were traded to the last on issues related to those who would be financially responsible if Rosneft would still be able to sue RBC 3.2 billion rubles. For damage to business reputation. Although the court refused, but the company filed a complaint to the superior instance.
At the same time, the expert does not exclude that with the new owner in the holding there will be a change of not only a media policy, but also a personnel composition of the publication.
However, in a letter to RBC employees, which leads the RNS agency, Nikolai Molybogus expresses confidence that Grigory Berezkin shares the fundamental principles of the RBC. "The question that worries many is what the impact of the change of the owner will provide the RBC media assets. In my opinion, the key value of our media brand is to work professionally and make qualitative information and analytical media. Thanks to this approach, we are confirmed daily by RBC's status as the main supplier of high-quality content for the economically active part of the population. In this, most of the success of RBC as a business, and I am sure that the new shareholder shares this point of view, "wrote molybogus.
